Remnant of a Dream
by RagingKey
Summary: Auron and Tidus were supposed to pass on to the Farplane, but when they wake up in a front of a shop found nowhere in Spira, they knew their lives had changed. Their first story may have ended, but their new one has just begun as they become a part of Team AART at Beacon Academy. Rated M for swearing, blood, gore and mature themes. OC's included. Part 1 of Remnant of a Dream.
1. Prologue

**Well, here I am, back from the dead. So, last time any of you saw me, it was in the Isle of Warriors, or at least you read the prologue and left. I decided to put that story on hold, in terms of editing it, for a while. If you guys wish to see it brought back, let me know and I might do so, but no promises.**

 **Anyways, welcome to my new story, Remnant of a Dream. If you didn't read the actual listing of the crossover, or completely ignored the title, this is a Final Fantasy X/RWBY crossover. I gave a brief description in the summery, as well as in the Tidus chapter of Isle of Warriors, but no one read that. Either way, this is my first attempt at a story which actually follows a canon plot, and will focus on the RWBY story up through Volume 3. As for 4, I have plans for that, so things might change much more around there, even if it comes out by the time I post it.**

 **I also changed the ending to Final Fantasy X a little bit. I decided to add a little more dialogue, mostly for those who haven't played it.**

 **Oh, and please sit back and enjoy the Prologue, it is much longer than the other one, and as such should be a bit better in quality.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _(Tidus POV)_

 _We did it. We defeated Yevon, the god everyone in Spira looked up to. It was his teachings that everyone in Spira followed blindly, sending summoner after summoner to defeat Sin, only for Sin to return once more. But we did it without the Final Aeon. Now Spira's sorrow will end. Yuna already sent Auron and the Fayth, but now that they are no longer dreaming, I have to go as well. My body, why does it feel weird._

" _Tidus, what is happening?" cries Yuna. I look down as my body begins to fade. I take a moment to answer._

" _Looks like the Fayth have stopped dreaming," I reply. A tear rolls down my cheek as I look to everyone. Wakka is being held by Lulu while he cries. She just looks to me in shock and sadness. Kimahri doesn't look to have changed his expression, but I can tell he is hurting on the inside as well. Rikku is down on her knees with her hands covering her face, probably crying as well. And Yuna, she is completely lost for words. She is just standing there with her hand covering her mouth._

" _What… what do you mean?"_

" _It means I have to go. I am sorry."_

" _For what?"_

" _I never got to show you my Zanarkand."_

" _Yeah, I guess you didn't. But I don't want you to go." She tries to hug me, but her arms pass right through my fading body._

" _I am sorry, but I have to. My old man won't like it if I keep him waiting." I begin walking toward the edge, looking down into the Farplane below the clouds._

" _Then I will look for you! I won't stop until I find a way to bring you back. I will do this because…" I listen closer as she whispers the last words, "... I love you."_

" _I will be waiting. I will see you when that happens, all of you." I turn back to the edge, and with one last push, I leap into the air and descend into the Farplane._

Tidus wakes up with his face flat to the ground. The hard cement looks black under the dark cover of night. Lying next to the blonde dream is his sword, Brotherhood. The sword with a blade as blue as the sea, was given to him by Wakka, after Tidus choose to join them as one of Yuna's guardians. The sword once belonged to Wakka's brother, Chappu, but he gave it up when he joined the Crusaders. It is double-edged, with one side curving towards the top to allow an easier slice through the air.

Tidus begins to stand up, using his sword as a crutch, and turns to notice the area around him. Despite it being dark, he can tell he is in a city, but it looks nothing like anything in Spira. The buildings aren't extremely big, but they aren't small either. They range from homes to shops, but they all seem to have a similar style to them. What does catch his eye however, is what is lying next to him. Or rather, who.

Next to Tidus is a young man in a red haori. His long black hair is tied back in a ponytail, with two bangs hanging in front of his face on both sides. The blonde wouldn't be able to recognize him, if it weren't for one thing, the sword lying next to him. The blade, made with the finest steel available, is a giant katana. This man, is Auron, only younger. He begins to stir as Tidus looks at his changed friend. In a similar manner to Tidus, Auron looks around as he also uses his sword as a crutch. He looks to the dream and asks, "Tidus, where are we?"

"I don't know, but this doesn't look like the Farplane to me," he responds. "Why do you think we are here?"

"Maybe Yevon didn't think passing on was good enough, and sent us here to suffer. We never really followed his teachings anyways. Plus we kinda killed him."

"Possibly, but where in Spira is here?"

"I don't think this is Spira kid."

"Why is that?"

"Look around. Does this look like our style or culture?" Tidus was about to respond when glass shatters behind him and a man dressed in black is sent flying through the window of the shop. They turn around to face the store, 'From Dust to Dawn', and notice a young girl, no more than fifteen years old, and in her hand is a giant scythe. Auron is the first to grab his blade as he rests it upon his shoulder, left sleeve already off. The young girl stands next to them as they notice men surround them, all dressed like their flying friend.

"What is going on?" Tidus asks, reading for a fight.

"I don't know," replies Auron.

"Are you two guys good or bad?" asks the young girl.

"Neither, but who am I to judge. What I want to know is who these guys are."

"I don't know who they are either, but they just tried to rob the store behind me."

"I see. For now we will trust you, but if I find out you're lying, then we won't consider you ally much longer."

"Do you have to be so blunt Auron?" interrupts Tidus, "I don't know what is going on here, but I don't think these guys around us are going to let us finish our conversation. We are with you red girl."

"I guess he has decided to trust you, so I shall as well."

"Alright, now let's kick their butts!" exclaims the young girl as she charges into battle.

"Is the machine fired up?" asks a young man. Dressed in a skin tight, black leather combat suit, Ren Glain pushes his black hair back as he types away at the computer. His dual pistols sit at his side as while he waits for a response. When testing the time-space transporter, he found a way to another world called Remnant. Not much was in the files, but it stated that a man named Ozpin helped in the battle seven hundred years prior. Of course that was how long it has been on the island, not this new world. Ren Glain is going as support for his friend, Airu Mirai as they investigate the world.

"Machine has blue swirls," booms the barbarian, Jaiir. The man was tall and very strong. His tan skin and oversized muscles make him look like a caramelized marshmallow cloud, though the loin cloth he wears leaves little to the imagination. Across his back is a giant warhammer and battle axe, both capable to cause quakes and even shoot up rocks.

"I will take that as a yes. Please tell Airu that I am ready to go. The two of us will be leaving soon."

"Yes. AIRU! REN READY TO GO!"

"You don't have to shout," replies the harpy. She walks into the computer room, trying to clean out her ear with her finger. "And you guys wonder why I have trouble hearing." Airu, the young harpy, once know as the Harpy of Death, is the leader of the island's natives, and one of the few who still live. Put aside the fact it was her who killed just about everyone. Three years prior, she and her team were brainwashed and convinced that in order to prevent a great demon from ravaging the land again, that they must kill everyone else. Such events would cause the demon to be summoned in a weakened state, making it much easier to kill. It was all a lie.

After RagingKey, the Lord of Hell, defeated Airu, he revealed that he was the demon, but the legend of him returning was a lie. Ever since then, Airu has been trying to find a way to forgive herself. The tournaments the island hold, now that links have been established with other dimensions, have been a good way to distract her, but even the Isle of Warriors wouldn't keep her occupied forever. She needed a mission, a goal to stay occupied on so she can try and forget the horrors of genocide.

"Good, are you ready, Airu," asks Ren.

"Yeah, just let me check my weapons," replies Airu. She spreads her large, brown wings as they reach past her finger tips, and from the back of them she draws two butterfly swords. The blades are short and thin, but very wide, allowing for a mix of quick and heavy attacks to really throw off most opponents. After inspecting them closely, she puts them back and draws her rapier from her side. She is most gifted with this weapon, and has been training with it since she was only six. Not only that, but it is a reminder of what she was just three years before, and who gave it to her. The blade is a powerful motivator for Airu. She inspects the blade and replaces it as well. "I am good to go. You?"

Ren draws one of his pistols and fires off a bullet into the air. "Locked and loaded."

"You don't have to be so dramatic."

"Whatever. This world should be something different for a change."

"Yeah, what are we waiting for let's go." Airu and Ren begin walking towards the transporter, saying their goodbyes to everyone. They stop in front of it and just stare at it, wondering what the future has in store. With one final look back, they both turn and walk into the portal.

Unknown to them, this causes an overload of the system, and the machine soon shuts off after they leave. There is no way for them to return home, for now.

* * *

 **Well, now that the beginning is out of the way, I think I should say something now before I get a ton of reviews saying the same thing. Yes I am aware that Ren Glain and Lie Ren are similar. That is one of the reasons I included him. He, along with Airu, were some of the main antagonists of the Isle of Warriors, but you guys didn't want to read it so you had no idea.**

 **Rant aside, I came up with him long before I watched RWBY, so don't think he is a copy of him in anyway, though the jokes that can be made from those two would be funny. And before you start saying that RagingKey is a self insert, that is not entirely true. To be honest, my Pen Name was inspired by the character, so it is more I named myself after a character.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this, the next chapter will be out soon. I will try to post at least once a week. Thanks, and bye.**


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome Wagon

**Yeah, I know I am back again. I decided to post the first chapter of it right away, just to get you guys hooked from the get go. There really isn't much else to say other than in 30 minutes, I already had two views. I know it isn't much now, but compared to the last one, it feels much better. Now, just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Welcome Wagon**

Tidus and Auron look around at the bodies spread out. It didn't take long, but they managed to defeat the criminals with the help of their new friend. The young girl in the red hood looks ahead however, to the man standing before them. Dressed in an all white suite, he doesn't look to be ready to fight. The man's orange hair sits under his bowler hat and covers his left eye. In his hand is a cane that looks really useless for a man of his age. Auron turns his attention to who seems to be the leader of the heist.

"Well, this doesn't seem to be going as planned," the boss comments.

"Who are you?" barks Auron.

"Relax. At this rate you will have wrinkles before you turn thirty."

"I don't think my age really has to do with this. Answer the question!"

"You know, I would really love to stay and chat, I really would. Unfortunately I am a busy man, so I have places to rob and people to cross. I am a nice guy though, so I will leave you with something." The man lifts his cane and the end flips up, allowing him to look through the crosshairs of the lens. He points it at the young girl and says, "End of the line, Red." The man fires a shot from his cane towards the young girl. What should of hit her, is instead blocked by Tidus, withstanding the attack by using his blade to deflect it. It did however, cause a large cloud of smoke.

"You okay?" Tidus calls back.

"Yeah, I am fine," she replies, "But I think he is getting away." The smoke clears and the trio looks up into the sky as the boss is now in what looks to be a giant helicopter.

"So long you three!" he shouts from his vehicle.

"How are we going to get him now?" asks Auron. You can begin to hear the anger in his voice.

"Leave it to me," the girl replies. She turns to the airship and disappears, leaving only rose petals behind.

"Where did she go?" asks Tidus, looking around where they just were. Instead of the girl however, he finds a blonde woman dressed in a white suite blouse and a black business skirt. On her back is a dark, purple cape, and in her hand is a wooden riding crop that looks to be used as a wand. "And who is the angry blonde?"

"Just what do the two of you think you are doing?" the woman asks quite angrily.

"We were simply defending ourselves from a few criminals," begins Auron. "We were just shopping around when they decided to rob the store behind us, with us inside. There was one more, but he is getting away." Shots can be heard as someone is firing at the airship above. "I believe our friend is shooting at him as we speak. You might want to hurry and make sure she is safe."

The woman looks toward the gunfire before looking at the two in front of her. "Stay here, I will come back for you shortly." With that, she turns back to the gunfire and begins to rush towards it. Tidus looks to Auron.

"Why did you lie?" he asks.

"We don't know where we are, or what is going on," replies Auron, "For now we should make it look like we are from here. The last thing we need is for people to think we are crazy. Claiming we are from another world and we should be dead is not something people say when they are sane."

"Right, so what's the plan." Auron sits down on the ground, watching the explosions in the air as the airship flies away.

"We sit and wait like she said."

"Alright." Tidus takes a seat next to Auron as they just wait.

* * *

Airu and Ren make their way down the streets of the city. They have no idea where they are, just that it isn't home. The machine broke down, so they can't return home. Their wristbands aren't even responding either, so messages to the others are not an option.

"Oh, so this is how it ends," cries Ren, "No food, no water, no chance for survival. Lost and abandoned in a world with no one around, oh the hum-"

"Would you shut up!" exclaims Airu, interrupting Ren's long winded monologue. "We have been walking for twenty minutes, so I think we can last a while longer. Plus it is night time so that means no one is going to be outside. We can grab something to eat once we manage to find a place to spend the night. I already checked out money, and it has all been changed to something called 'Lien,' so we don't have to worry about that."

"You don't have to be a bitch about it."

"And you don't have to be such a drama queen."

"And you both can shut up," a voice joins in there conversation. It is of a man, one that is familiar to both of them. They turn to see a man, dressed in a black trench coat and deep black hair walk up from behind them. The shadows clear as the man's face is revealed. Not too old, but the age is shown to be about thirty. A short, scraggly beard helps support the age.

"Rage, I didn't expect to see you here," states Airu.

"Yeah, well when disturbances in timelines appear, I have to answer the call."

"Did we do something by showing up."

"Yeah, but I was expecting you, which is why I brought these." Rage, or RagingKey, tosses a bag in front of the two. "In there is some new weapons. Airu, I just replaced your weapons with ones that use Dust."

"Dust?"

"Yeah, it is a resource here that works in similar fashions to your magic. Also your magic doesn't work here. Your butterfly swords use fire and ice respectively, while your rapier uses lightning."

"Wait, if magic doesn't work, then how will healing work in battle."

"Everyone here has Aura. It is an extension of your soul from what I heard. When you came through the portal, your powers converted into that. It allows you to boost attacks, take hits, or even heal small wounds. There is also something called a Semblance, a unique ability directly related you your Aura. I don't know what yours' are, but you will have one."

"What about my weapons?" asks Ren, who has been quiet until now.

"I made some modified pistols, exactly like yours. They use Dust however, but they infuse it when you fire. There is a dial you can turn on the side that allows you to choose what element you use. Plus they can change into dual nightsticks that are able to shoot in that form as well."

"What did you mean, 'but I was expecting you?'" Airu asks, now that she has an idea on how the world works.

"Another two showed up in this world. They shouldn't be here, but I think they will be useful for the time being. Spira is home to some pretty powerful warriors."

"Spira? Isn't that where Auron and Tidus are from?"

"Yes, how did you know it was those two?"

"Lucky guess."

"Those two were suppose to pass on after the fall of Yu Yevon. Guess someone had a change of plans."

"So what do we do now?"

"You two are going to school. In that bag you should also find your transcripts to Beacon."

"School? What the hell is this?"

"Beacon is one of the best combat schools to attend. It will also give you something to do while you're transporter gets fixed. Everyone could use some training." Rage then turns on his heel and begins to walk back into the darkness. "And before you try and get out of it, you have already been accepted. Your time at SWMA was a great reference for your application. Now then, I have some other matters to attend to." And with that, Rage is gone without a trace.

"What do we do, Airu?" asks Ren while he examines the new weapons.

"*sigh* We get ready for school," she replies.

* * *

"What you three did was reckless," the blonde woman, now know as Glynda Goodwitch, scalds Tidus, Auron, and the young girl known as Ruby Rose, "You should have let local law enforcement deal with it."

"They were too slow," replies Auron with a dry tone.

Glynda ignores the comment. "If it were up to me, you'd be sent home, with a pat on the back…" Ruby's face lights up at this point. Seeing the happy look on her face, the blonde witch snaps her riding crop down near wrist, "... and a slap on the wrist." Ruby's face loses the smile and is replaced with an ashamed look. "However, there is someone here who would like to speak with you." Glynda proceeds to move to the side as a man, dressed in a black suit with green neckscarf walks in holding a plate of cookies in one hand, and a mug in the other. His grey hair and small sunglasses make him look very educated, and very powerful.

"Ruby Rose, you have silver eyes," the man leans in to get a closer look.

"Uh, thanks?"

"Now, as for you two," the man turns to Auron and Tidus, now no longer leaning in Ruby's face. "Would it be too much as to ask for your names."

"I am Auron," replies Auron, extending his right hand while his left remains in its sling-like position, resting in the sleeve of his haori. The older gentleman accepts the offer and shakes his hand.

"Nice to meet you Auron, I presume you hurt your left arm at one point."

"Actually no. I use this more of a trick."

"Appear wounded so an opponent won't see the need to use full strength. Clever and effective. And you young man, what is your name."

"Tidus, sir," introduces Tidus.

"Nice to meet you as well. So tell me something," the older man pulls out a tablet and places it in front of them, showing the fight from earlier, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Signal Academy," replies Ruby, a little unsure of how to answer it.

"They taught you to wield one of the most dangerous weapons known to man there."

"Well, just one teacher in particular."

"I see," the older man places the plate of cookies on the table next to Ruby. Who wolfs them down in seconds, "And what of you two. You fight with a style I am unfamiliar with."

"We trained at Spira," lies Auron.

"Spira? Can't say I have heard of that school?'

"It is a fairly new school, a lot of the teacher there are self-taught. We are among the few who attend."

"I see, a private school that not many go to. Explains why I haven't heard about it. I must ask, what is a young girl such as yourself doing at a school doing at a school designed to train warriors."

"I want to become a Huntress. Once I finish my last two years, then I am going to apply yo Beacon. My sister-" her words seem to blend together in excitement, that it becomes impossible to understand what is being said. Everyone just stares at her, more in awe that she can talk that fast than anything else.

The older man finally breaks the silence by asking, "Do you know who I am?"

"You're Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon." The newly identified Ozpin nods his head.

"So, you three want to come to my school?"

"Why does that sound like something someone would say when they want to get kids to hop into their vans?" asks Tidus.

"Because you missed the question," replies Auron, annoyed at Tidus's question.

"More than anything," Ruby replies.

"We accept as well." Ozpin turns to Glynda, who doesn't look happy. They exchange glances before turning back to the trio.

"Well, okay." Ruby begins to smile wildly, realizing she just got accepted into Beacon. "Now, Ruby, I have to ask you to step outside, Glynda will assist you in getting home tonight. I have to speak with these two privately.

"Yeah, sure." She and Glynda exit the room, leaving only Ozpin, Auron, and Tidus. "Now then, quite the story you two came up with there, without knowing anything about this world."

"You knew we were lying?" asks Tidus. Auron facepalms as he realized what the man was doing.

"I do now." Tidus's jaw drops as he realized his mistake as well. Noticing this, Ozpin responds with, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. In fact, I have someone here to see you as well." The door opens as RagingKey steps into the room and sits next to Ozpin.

"You two are doing well I see," observes Rage.

"How do you know who we are?" asks Tidus.

"Let's just say, I know of your story. But that can wait, because you need to know how this world, Remnant, works." Rage explains everything to the two just like he did with Airu and Ren, only he didn't bring weapons. "So, you two better get ready, school's in session."

* * *

 **There you have it, Chapter 1 is in the books and everyone is going to Beacon. I mean, did you expect otherwise.**

 **Anyways, Auron's age is 25 for two reasons, so he isn't as old as the teachers and because it listed his age as 35 on the Wiki. Now, if that means he was 35 when he died the first time, well, sorry. I hope my explanation for his age makes sense.**

 **Now, I am probably going to get something about this, yes RagingKey will be a factor later in the story. That is all I am going to say.**

 **Also, I already have the pairings picked out, so no suggesting any. I won't say who, but just know that they will happen.**

 **There really isn't anything else to say, so take care, leave a review, and have a good night.**


	3. Chapter 2: Beacon

**I am back, and I won't be getting any sleep tonight. I felt the need to give you all one last chapter this weekend, or at this point it is now the week. This is because this story actually got people who wanted to read, with 64 views as of 12:30 am Monday, and almost half of the viewers from the prologue stayed for the first chapter. You may not see this as much, but for me this is good.**

 **Anyways, you guys might be wondering if everyone is going to get emblems, and the answer is yes. They actually will be revealed in this chapter, so yay for that.**

 **As I think about it, I will be mentioning SWMA a bit, so I should explain it because I won't be discussing it in the story. SWMA, School of Weapon & Magic Arts, is where Airu and Ren Glain were taught to fight. Just thought I would explain it now.**

 **All that is left is for you to sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Beacon**

Auron and Tidus are riding the airship towards Beacon with their new friend Ruby when, "Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me!" Ruby is brought into a bone crushing hug by a rather busty blonde. "This is the best day ever!" Ruby struggles for air.

"Could you…please stop?" she gasps. The busty blonde loosens her grip as she begins to speak again.

"But I'm so proud of you."

"Really sis, it was nothing."

"What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon will think you're the bee's knees."

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees.' I don't want to be any kind of knees. I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

"What's wrong? Aren't you excited?" Having heard enough of the situation, Auron decides to interrupt the conversation.

"I believe what she is trying to say, is that she doesn't want to be treated differently because of her abilities," states Auron. The busty blonde turns to the Spira warriors and they are able to get a better view. The young woman, no older than seventeen, is dressed in a tan vest, that looks a little short, over a low cut, yellow crop top. These articles of clothing do minimal to hide her, 'chest features.' She also has a brown belt, containing a small pouch, that looks to hold up a rather short pair of black shorts, and seems to bring more focus to her 'assets.' Her blonde hair reaches down to her lower back, and around her wrists are gold bracelets that seem to be two big for anyone to consider them jewelry.

"And you are?" she asks, a little annoyed that someone was eavesdropping.

"Auron."

"He is right sis," confirms Ruby. Auron and Tidus are able to get a better look at the young girl now that they aren't bound to the darkness. Ruby is quite short, reaching maybe five feet and is considerably younger than most, being ony fifteen. She wears a black blouse and skirt held together by a black belt, which is decorated with sniper rounds, a magazine pouch, and a silver rose. There is also a red cloak held to her blouse and her hair is black with a red tint. "I mean, I did get moved ahead _two years._ Plus, I didn't even do it myself, these two helped me."

"We were just in the right place at the right time."

"Yeah, but it was a good thing we did," cheers Tidus. The blonde dream decided to keep his old clothes from Spira, consisting of a yellow jacket, black shorts, and a black leather dungaree that reaches half way down his shorts. On his left arm is a blue shoulder pad connected to a green gauntlet that reaches his elbow. He also weres a pair of yellow and black shoes. The right leg of his shorts is longer than the other and has the red Zanarkand Abes logo, which is the pendent of his necklace as well. His lack of a shirt makes his chest features more exposed.

Auron kept most of his old clothes, mostly the black padded shirt and black trousers. He also is wearing his old silver colored boots. He did however change the design of his red haori, removing the shoulder pattern and shortened the left sleeve while adding a black design of a cherry tree to the back of it. He replaced the old sash with an all black one. The collar still comes up to hide his face, despite his younger face. His black hair is tied back into the ponytail he once had and got rid of his sunglasses. The scar he once had over his right eye is also gone.

"Well, thanks for protecting my sister, both of you," thanks the busty blonde, "Say, Auron, aren't you a little old to be attending Beacon? Most students are still teenagers, but you are at least twenty-two." Auron looks out the window, staring at the reflection of his younger face. Because he took the body he had when he originally died, his body still had the look of his twenty-five year old self.

"I was originally going to train for the military. But after a few years, I decided it wasn't for me," he replies using the cover story he created, "Also the general wanted me to marry his daughter. I refused and was threatened to be kicked out after that and I decided to become a Gu-... Hunter instead, so I left the base and transferred to Spira. I still had a year left before I was to come here."

"Yeah, I had a year left as well," adds Tidus.

"I see, and what was your name blondie?" she asks.

"Tidus, and you?"

"Yang Xiao Long. I am Ruby's older sister."

"I could tell when she called you sis, but you look nothing alike."

"Technically we are half-sisters," confirms Ruby.

"That makes sense." Tidus takes a look at the clock on his new scroll. "We should probably make sure our gear is ready before we get off. Nice meeting you Yang, and nice seeing you again, Ruby." Tidus and Auron walk off as the news report of the previous events plays on a hologram.

"They were, interesting," comments Yang. The hologram switches to Glynda as she gives a standard introduction speech. The two sisters look out the window to see the world below.

"Wow, I can see Signal from here," says Ruby in awe, "I guess home isn't two far away afterall."

"Beacon is our home now."

* * *

Airu Mirai and Ren Glain step out of the airship as they look at the massive building in front of them. "I guess this is why it is called 'Beacon.'" comments Airu.

"Yeah, it is magnificent," replies Ren. He lowers his eyepiece over his eye, pulling up the map of the school, while a blonde boy runs past them towards the nearest trash can. "Poor kid. Anyways, we should head towards-" a loud crash can be heard as a cart is knocked over by some girl in a red hood. The owner, a snob with white hair and a white dress, looks to be yelling at the young girl. "Just ignore them Airu." He looks over to where his friend should be, only to not find her there. Looking back to the girls, Ren notices Airu walking over there. "She can handle this. I better find my way." Ren walks off towards the building while Airu makes her way over to the girls.

"Achoo!" the girl in the red hood sneezes causing a massive explosion that Airu barely avoids.

"What the fuck was that?" curses Airu. "That better not be that girl's Semblance, or she is going to kill herself with it."

"Unbelievable!" the girl in the white dress exclaims, "This is exactly the kind of this I was talking about."

"I am really, really sorry," the hooded girl apologizes.

"You are a complete dolt!"

Airu, fed up the girl's attitude, walks up to the two and turns to the girl in white exclaiming, "And you are a complete bitch!" The girl in white turns to Airu, trying to figure out who just told her off. The girl is wearing a pale jacket over a similarly colored, thigh length dress. On the back is a snowflake crest of some kind. Her white hair is tied in an off center ponytail that allows the scar over her left eye to be shown. The way she stands combined with her clothes adds to the rich snob look.

"Excuse me," the snob says, "But if you didn't notice, this child just knocked over some very valuable Dust, and almost blew up the whole school."

"Yeah, I noticed. But if you weren't such a snotty brat, you would've noticed the sorry look on her face. I suggest you treat others with a little respect and compassion, princess."

"Heiress, actually," a girl, seventeen maybe, approaches the group with a small bottle in one hand and a book in the other. She has long black hair paired with a black bow, a white shirt under a black vest and white shorts. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

"Finally, some recognition," Weiss smiles at hearing the information.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor laws and questionable business partners."

That shut Weiss up really quick. "Wha.. How dare you! Give me that." She yanks the bottle of dust out of the bow girl's hand and storms off.

The girl in the hood turns to Weiss and yells, "I promise I will make this up to you!" Seeing the situation, bow girl disappears leaving only Airu and the hooded girl. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day." The hooded looks to see the girl in the bow is gone. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know, she walked off around the same time the bitch did," responds Airu.

"You don't have to call her that."

"No, but she pissed me off the way she was talking to you. It reminded me of someone." The hooded girl looked up to Airu in wonder. Airu shakes her head. "Nevermind. My name is Airu Mirai."

"Ruby Rose."

"You two okay?" asks a voice. Both girls turn to see the blonde kid who was puking earlier walk up to them. He is wearing a dark hoodie under some plate armor on his chest and shoulders. Two belts cross over his waist, one for his jeans and the other for his sheath.

"Oh, yeah we are, thanks...," chirps Ruby.

"Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." Airu tilts her head back and let's out a howling laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Hahaha, oh I am sorry," snorts Airu, "I am so sorry man, but from a 'lady's' standpoint, they don't. Especially when you say it like that. Who told you that anyways?"

"My mom always told me that."

"Listen kid." Airu places a hand on the boy's shoulder. "At least you have a mother that cares if she told you that. She tried to boost your confidence, but she should of been a little more honest."

"Okay, I guess." An awkward silence follows. The wind blows as the trio stands in the courtyard. Ruby pulls out something folded up from off her back.

"So… I got this," she announces. Her item transforms into a giant red scythe which she stabs into the ground.

"Damn," is all Airu can say as she stares at the weapon.

"Is that a scythe?" Jaune asks in awe.

"It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle," Ruby adds.

"A what?"

"It is a fucking gun," explains Airu, "I haven't seen anything like this before. Did you make it?"

"Yeah!"

"That is cool. This is what I got." Airu spreads her wings and pulls off her dual butterfly swords. The one in her right has a sky blue tassel while the one in her left is crimson red.

"Whoa, butterfly swords."

"Yeah, plus I can use Dust to send waves of either ice or fire." Airu places her blades back and draws her rapier, now with a yellow hilt and guard. "Then there is my trusty rapier. It utilizes thunder Dust."

"That is so awesome. Did you make those?"

"No, they were a gift when I decided to attend here. At my old school, we focused on weapon training more that Dust manipulation."

"Where did you go to school?"

"SWMA, it is a school on one of the islands. Not many attend, and most decide to stay local. Most haven't even heard of it."

"And what about you, Jaune?" The two girls look to Jaune, who has been quite for the last couple of minutes trying to understand what they were saying.

"I have this," he replies, drawing the sword from it's scabbard. Nothing special, just a standard broad sword. He then grabs the scabbard, which turns into a shield.

"Oh, so you have a sword and a shield that doubles as a scabbard," explains Airu, "Interesting concept, but does it do anything else.?" Jaune looks down, defeated.

"No."

"Okay." Jaune puts his weapon away, "By the way, where are we supposed to be?"

"I don't know, I was following you two."

"Ruby?"

"We go this way," she proclaims, "Or was it this way? I have no idea."

"Then we better run." The trio start running into the building, looking for where they need to go.

* * *

Tidus and Auron enter the auditorium with the rest of the first year students. They walk over to some seats next to a young man, possibly nineteen, in a black body suit and some sort of computer over his left eye. He also has a pair of black gloves, both detailed with a white skull and a pistol on either side, pointed up and away. "Excuse me, sir," Auron begins. The young man notices them and moves the computer off of his eye.

"Yes?" he replies.

"Are these seats taken?"

"No no, go ahead and take a seat Auron."

"How do you know my name?" Auron's voice becomes more hostile.

"You don't remember me? It's me Ren Glain, from the Isle of Warriors."

"I don't remember ever visiting that place, do you Tidus?"

"No, I don't think so," answers Tidus as he shakes his head.

"I am sorry, I must of confused you two for some other friends. Let's start over, my name is Ren Glain."

"Auron, and this is Tidus," replies Auron, now a little calmer but still suspicious.

"Nice to meet you both, so where did you two go to school."

"Spira," answers Tidus.

"Where is that?"

"It is here in Vale, but it is very small and private. Not too many attend, and most of the teaches are self-taught.'

"I see, I myself went to SWMA, it is the school on the island I grew up on. Most stay local, but me and my friend decided to attend Beacon for a change. Oh, here she comes now. Airu! Over here!"

"At least you aren't as dramatic at the moment," comments the girl as she walks over. She is dressed in a brown leather crop top with wool lining on the top, a pair of black combat shorts, and brown combat boots. From her back sprout two large brown wings that she has folded up to avoid taking up too much room. On her hands are tan, fingerless gloves with a black skull in front of two wings design. She walks over to the trio and introduces herself, "Hi, I am Airu Mirai. Have I seen you two before?"

"Auron, and I don't believe so," replies Auron, "But your friend seems to have mistaken us for some friends with the same name and face."

"Ahh, his files might of glitched. See he has a bit of a memory problem, so he has a computer that he keeps as a eyepiece. Sometimes the files get mixed up and the faces and names get switched. That or he already hacked the schools database and has uploaded the files into his system."

"Well, that explains a bit," says Tidus, "My name is Tidus by the way."

"Nice to meet you. Now we just have to get through this boring introduction speech." Airu takes her seat and almost on cue, Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch walk on the podium.

"I'll... keep this brief," he begins, "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." The students whisper among themselves before he continues. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." He steps off the podium, leaving the students confused and unsure of what will happen.

Glynda walks up to the center and begins to speak over the murmuring crowd, "You will all gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. You are dismissed."

"That was, blunt," comments Tidus as he begins to get up.

"It was, but it makes sense," says Auron, "He is trying to thin out the heard. He wants to know who has the nerve to step forward, or who needs their hand held as they go through the motions."

"He could of been a little nicer about it," argues Ren.

"That would defeat the purpose," snaps Airu, "Either way, we should head to bed. We want to be bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow."

"Yes, come Tidus, let's get going," agrees Auron. The two walk away, but Tidus turns back to the others.

"Nice meeting you guys, see you tomorrow," he says.

"You too, bye," replies Ren. The two turn and begin walking out as well.

* * *

 **Yeah, so there you have it, the next chapter of Remnant of a Dream. Not a whole lot of plot, but this is following the RWBY canon for a while. Don't worry, things will change as they go along.**

 **In terms of emblems, Tidus kept his since there really wasn't a reason for him to change his clothes for a new one. Auron's is a reference to the Aeon Yojimbo, in which he walks from behind a cherry tree. Airu and Ren I decided to give them something similar and simple. Ren is just because he used duel pistols while Airu's is actually a nod to her title, Harpy of Death.**

 **I think this went well and sets up the world nicely for those a little unfamiliar with either series. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter, and I am going to try and sleep. Leave a review or follow the story if you like it. Until next time, goodbye.**

 _ **I noticed when going back through the chapters that I kept Auron's sleeve in, despite saying he removed it from his design. I changed it to him shortening it up rather than removing it entirely. I hope things make more sense if you ever caught that error, and I apologize for making it seem like I actually added to the story.**_


	4. Chapter 3: Bedtime

**So I noticed something as of five minutes ago. This story, in just three chapters, has reached 135 views. I know it is a little weird to track views, but since my last one really dropped off, I was hoping this one was going to be a little bit better in terms of fan base.**

 **Anyways, I should probably say this now before people start wondering, most of this story will focus on Auron, Tidus, Airu, and Ren Glain. There will be scenes from the show that will be cut or altered for the need of these characters, so if they usually aren't going to be in them, they will probably not be written in. Doesn't mean they didn't happen, just that it won't happen on screen. A good example is the conversation with Ruby, Weiss, and Yang before Ozpin's speech.**

 **But enough about my style, this is not about how I write, but what I write. So sit back and enjoy this new chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Bedtime**

Tidus and Auron are lying down in the ballroom, dressed in their new sleepwear. Tidus is wearing only a pair of black shorts, allowing his chest to show his fit body. Auron is a little more subtle, wearing a red robe over a pair of black shorts. His chest can still show its perks, but they are covered up a little more.

Tidus gets up and begins to stretch out. "I think I am going to go to the bathroom, I will be back in a few," he announces.

Auron turns to the young man. "Alright, you don't have to tell me," the younger Auron replies. Tidus gets up and walks toward the bathroom as Auron sits up. His hair falls down to his shoulders now that it isn't in a ponytail. He begins to talk to himself, saying, "Why am I here?"

"Doubting yourself already?" asks a young female voice. The former guardian looks up to see a young woman standing over him. She has short, brown hair and brown eyes, and wears a cocoa-colored shirt with dark brown trousers. She also a large brown belt that looks to be decorated with bullets. She looks older than most of the first years, but not by much. "If you go around wondering things like that, the only you should do is pack up."

Auron looks down for a minute before responding, "I am afraid you misunderstood me. I wasn't meaning 'here,' as in Beacon. I was more of questioning my existence."

"Now why would you do that? You are a nice looking young man, even if your fashion sense is a little out of date. Strong too." Auron lets out half a chuckle.

"I really don't know, but I always felt out of place in the world."

"Well, you seem just right to me."

"Thank you."

"No problem. So…" The girl trails off, not knowing his name.

"Auron."

"Mind if I take a seat?"

"Be my guest." The young woman takes a seat next to Auron. "You don't look like most of the others here, are you not a first year?"

"I could say the same to you, Old Man." Auron glares at her playfully, knowing full well his age is quite noticeable to most of the others.

"I am not that old. I am only twenty-five."

"To everyone here you are. But to answer your question, no? I am a second year. Coco Adel, leader of Team CFVY."

"Second year? So what are you doing down here. Don't you have your own dorm?"

"I do, but I wanted to check out some of the fresh meat." She chuckles to herself

"I see. Well this was fun, but I should get some sleep for initiations tomorrow."

"Yeah, I am looking forward to seeing what you do." Coco stands up and looks around. She turns back to Auron. "What weapon should I look for to find you? This whole test will be available for the school to see."

"A large katana."

"Alright Old Man. When you get back and settled in with your new team, maybe I can help you get some more stylish clothes."

"I prefer function over fashion."

"Then we find something that does both." This actually brought a smile to Auron's face, which Coco took notice of. "You should do that more often, makes you look less like a downer."

"I will keep that in mind, and I will make sure to take you up on that offer." Coco smirks then walks off as Tidus comes back.

"You dawg Auron," he says crawling back into his sleeping bag.

"What?" asks Auron, a little confused.

"You don't think I just saw you get a date. Seriously, I am gone five minutes and already manage to get the girls to crawl to you. The younger look makes you look like a ladies man."

"It's not like that." Auron looks away in emerresment. "We just talked and she offered to take me shopping for clothes."

"And who are the clothes for?"

"To my knowledge, me." Tidus slaps his friends back and lets out a loud laugh, promoting others to turn and shush him.

"Man, you took the bait, hook, line, and sinker."

"What now?" Auron looks to his friend in confusion.

"Look, the day will start with clothes shopping, then you will get hungry and want to eat. Depending on the time of day, you will have either a lunch or dinner date. Then she will suggest a movie for the two of you to see, which being the gentleman, you will offer to pay. And to finish off the day, you will walk her back to her dorm and possibly give her a kiss goodbye. When was the last time you went on a date anyways?"

"Go to sleep, Tidus." Auron lays back down furious and embarrassed while Tidus continues to chuckle himself to sleep.

* * *

"Did you really have to make me sound like a disabled kid?" Ren asks, still annoyed about what Airu said before the speech.

"It was that or explain how we know those two," she argues, "They weren't too happy about they way you seemed to know them. We are here to investigate this world and find a way to restore the transporter, not piss off people. They are already involved somehow, so we just have to roll with it."

"Why didn't they remember us?" A message appears in Ren's eyepiece. _Tidus and Auron don't remember you because they aren't from the same timeline as the ones you know. If they were, they wouldn't be here._ _ **Rage.**_ "Speak of the devil." Another message. _I heard that._ Ren looks around for Rage.

"What are you looking for?" asks Airu.

"Nothing." Ren shakes the thought from his head. "I should have the earpieces ready in about a week, the GPS is a lot different here than on the island. Also Rage figured out why they don't have memories of us."

"Why?" She doesn't question on how because she knows about the messenger in his computer.

"Timelines."

"Makes sense. We should get some rest. This test is in the morning, and we have no idea what it is." Airu pulls her blanket over her back while she lays on her chest. Her large wings pop out of slits in the back of her black shirt, the only thing, aside from underwear, she felt was needed as clothing to sleep in.

Ren decided to not look like a one night stand, and wore a black shirt with shorts to bed. He turns toward his friend and asks, "Doesn't that hurt your boobs to sleep like that?"

"Either them or my wings, and you know how sensitive they are. Plus it still hurts where she stabbed." Airu motions toward the one place on her left where feathers no longer grow. The scar isn't big, but noticeable up close.

"Yeah, we should see about getting you a bed where you can let your wings hang without pain."

"Whatever, just go to sleep." As Ren is about to drift off to sleep, someone climbs into his sleeping bag. Airu notices, but says nothing.

"Um, who are you?" he asks the sleepy newcomer. He notices she has orange hair, not very long, but not short either. She can't be more than seventeen and is wearing a black shirt and purple undergarments, to which she has no pants to cover.

"Don't be silly Ren, you know it's me," she replies, still groggy, "When did you remove your pink highlight?"

"I never had one, and how do you know me?"

"She doesn't," another voice responds. This one, belongs to a young man, about the same age as his sleepy counterpart. Ren looks up to the man he can only assume is Ren, and wonders how much they have in common _._ Ren has very similar black hair, but has a pink highlight to some of it. However, he has a green shirt and black shorts, which is not quite as similar to Ren Glain's outfit. "I am sorry, Nora can be a little confused when she is tired. I can see why she confused us, we look a lot alike."

"It's fine, I was more surprised to find a woman crawl into bed with me than disappointed. My name is Ren Glain."

"This going to be confusing." The young man scratches the back of his head before putting his out to shake. "My name is Lie Ren, but everyone on calls me Ren."

"Yep, you're fucked," comments Airu. Both Rens turn to the harpy girl.

"And you are?" asks Lie Ren with a raised eyebrow.

"That's my friend Airu. She can be a bitch at times." This earned Ren Glain a pillow in his face.

"And you can be a fucking, over-dramatic soap opera," snaps Airu.

"I think I will just take my friend and go, you two could use some rest." And with that, Lie Ren left with Nora in the young man's arms. Airu and Ren Glain both turn in their beds and fall asleep as well.

* * *

 **Okay, I know this is a little shorter than the others, but I really didn't want to start the initiation until next chapter. So sorry, but I believe the next one is a little longer.**

 **In case you couldn't tell, I am doing Auron/Coco for one of my pairings. I really felt that she would be a good fit, and she is a bit more mature than the other students. Plus it felt weird thinking about pairings with any of the other characters, so there it is.**

 **Ren and Ren, this is going to be funny. As Airu said, they're fucked. When I was trying to decide who to put in from my other story, he was a must have for the humor that can ensue from these two. And yes, they will fight each other at one point, I won't say when, but it will happen.**

 **Anyways, thanks you guys for reading, please follow or review, and I will see you guys later.**


	5. Chapter 4: Emerald Forest

**Alright, I am back and ready to go. Last chapter was a little short, and this one is only a little bit longer. I went ahead and updated the character list to show the Auron/Coco pairing. Until I feel like revealing the next one, it will stay that way so don't expect another change.**

 **Also, I want to say thank you to azickwolf, he is both the first favorite and first follower of the story. It is this support that I wish my other story got that keeps me going.**

 **The reason why I am so quick on updates is because, well I have written a lot farther already. I have a fairly large buffer at the moment, so it allows a little bit more frequent updates. I am going to try and cut it down to Tuesdays and Thursdays starting next week, but I might do more if I feel like doing so. Usually when I post, I go in and update the document I have, then copy it here and make any last corrections and the Author Notes.**

 **Anyways, let's get into the initiation. Just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Emerald Forest**

After a long night for everyone, Tidus and Auron walk into the locker room to grab their gear while Ruby and Yang seem to be discussing teams. Ruby is having trouble meeting new people while Yang wants her to expand her horizons. "Sometimes I think I see more of you in Ruby than I should," Auron comments to Tidus.

"What do you mean by that?" asks Tidus.

"She is young, naive, and childish. Reminds me of when you first arrived in Spira. Actually, the entire time we traveled Spira."

"Come on, I wasn't that bad."

"No, but you were clueless."

"That is-"

"Ridiculous!" A young man shouts.

"I was going to say 'not entirely true.'"

"What?" The young man turns to Tidus and Auron, to which Tidus begins to laugh.

"Sorry man, you just shouted something when I was talking. Made it sound like something I was going to say. Nice to meet you, name's Tidus."

Auron extends his right arm, his left sitting in his sleeve, "Auron."

"Jaune Arc," The young man takes Auron's hand, "I didn't mean to interrupt, I was just looking for my locker, I will be going now." Jaune walks off, leaving Tidus and Auron to grab their gear.

"Nice kid," comments Auron as he shuts his locker.

"Yeah, but I think he will try barking up the wrong tree when it comes to women," adds Tidus.

"Is that all you can think about? Seriously, since we got here, you have been pestering me about finding someone, and now you are talking about his dating life. I thought you told Yuna you would be waiting for when she found you."

"I did. Wait! How do you know about that? She had already sent you by then." Auron says nothing as the two proceed to walk out the locker room while Airu and Ren Glain walk in. The two pass by Weiss and a red-haired gladiator. Ignoring them, the two make it to their lockers when Jaune reappears, interrupting their conversation.

"You know what else is great?" He asks, not really wanting a response, "Me, Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you."

"At least the kid's got confidence," Airu comments to Ren, "But he will be fucking shot down by those two."

"You again?" replies Weiss, very irritated. The gladiator girl makes her way to the side, looking like she is wanting to be seen.

"Or maybe not, looks like Greek is interested," adds Ren.

"Nice to meet you Jaune," she says.

"Yeah, yeah," Jaune brushes her off and looks back to Weiss.

"And he blew it, well nice knowing you kid," sighs Airu.

"So, Weiss," Jaune continues, oblivious to the comments, "I couldn't help but overhear your fondness over me the other day."

"You have got to be kidding me," mummers Weiss as she covers her face.

"No need to be embarrassed. So, I have been hearing rumors about teams, and I think you and me would make a pretty good one. What do you say?"

"You're a fucking idiot, oh wait, that question wasn't to me," Airu jokes to herself.

"Actually, I think teams are comprised of four students each," corrects the gladiator. This manages to catch Jaune's attention.

"You don't say. Well hot stuff, play your cards right and you might end up on the winning team."

"And Jaune is back in the game," Ren claims.

"Jaune, is it? Do you have any idea who you are talking to?" Weiss asks, very frustrated.

"Not in the slightest, snow angel," responds Jaune.

"I would of called her Ice Queen, but that is just me," Airu comments.

"This is Pyrrha," Weiss motions to the gladiator.

"Hello again," says Pyrrha.

"She graduated top of her class at Sanctum."

"Never heard of it," Jaune replies confused.

"She's won the Mistral Region Tournament four years in a row." Airu begins to walk over to the group after hearing the claim to fame.

"And unlike you, she left her ego at the door," snaps Airu.

"Oh, it's the eagle faunus, Miss Wings." Weiss rolls her eyes at the approaching harpy.

"First, my name is Airu Mirai, not 'Miss Wings.'" Airu glares at Weiss. "And second, it doesn't matter what you did before today. That was the past, and the professors here don't care who you are or what you have done before coming here. All that matters is what you do from now on. You do best to learn that soon, Ice Queen. It was nice to meet you Pyrrha. Let's go Ren." Airu and Ren begin walking out of the locker room when Weiss calls Airu out.

"My name is not 'Ice Queen!'"

"I know!" And with that, Airu and Ren disappeared from sight. As Glynda's voice booms through the intercom. _Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation._

* * *

Many first year students, including Auron, Tidus, Airu, and Ren Glain, stand on top of some white tiles. Ozpin and Glynda stand behind them on a higher part of the cliff, looking outward. Ozpin decides to speak first, saying, "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," Glynda begins, "Well allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today." The students begin to talk amongst themselves.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," continues Ozpin, "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone you work well with." Tidus and Auron look to each other, giving the other an assuring nod. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years.

"After you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and we'll grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Jaune raises his hand. "Good. Now take your positions." Auron crotches with his blade resting on his shoulder. Tidus gets into a similar stance with his blade to the side. Ren Glain keeps his weapons holstered, but spreads his legs out wide. Airu spreads her wings and squats down, waiting for the launch.

"Uh, sir. I have a question," Jaune states nervously, missing the students getting launched. Auron is sent flying from a spring under his tile. "So what is this landing strategy, are you dropping us off or something." Tidus is next.

"No, you will be falling," Ozpin replies dryly. More students are launched.

"I see, did you hand out parachutes or something?" Ren gets launched into the air.

"No, you will be using your own landing strategy." Before Jaune can respond, he is launched into the air and begins to flail around. Finally, Airu is launched into the air, using her wings to get more height.

* * *

Auron begins his descent into the forest. He notices, some trees that he will hit and a few Grimm, creatures of darkness who lack souls, to the left of them. "This might be bad," he says to himself, before coming up with an idea. Using the tree as a wall, he manages to land his feet on the side of the trunk and pushes off. Gripping his blade with both hands, he raises it above his head and stabs it down onto the head of the Beowolf in front and sends shock waves to the other two. Pulling his blade out of the ground, Auron looks to his two opponents. Both are staggering to get up, and Auron wastes little time. A one handed swing is all he needs to defeat the other two. He walks away as the Grimm begin to fade away. He stops and looks back, to find five more standing where their fallen comrades once stood. "You are almost as troublesome as fiends." He rests his blade on his shoulders and lets his left sleeve hang loose. "Almost."

* * *

Up in the air, Airu soars around the forest, looking for the ruins. She just wanted to fly in and fly out, but it would seem she has to find a partner. Looking down, she notices a familiar red haori and large katana surrounded by Beowolves. "Looks like Auron could use some help," she notices. Drawing her rapier, she fires off multiple lightning bolts in a rapid session. She shoots down like a comet, striking another one down. Just one remains, the two warriors look into each other's eyes, before both slashing the Beowolf into quarters.

The two dust themselves off before turning back to each other. Airu is the first to speak up, "Looks like it is you and me, Auron."

"Yes," he replies, turning north and replacing his arm in his left sleee., "We better get going before more arrive." He grips his katana with one hand and begins to run.

"Wait for me!" Airu starts running after him, toward the ruins.

* * *

Tidus managed to land without a problem after discovering his new Semblance, hydrokinesis. He is able to control water, which comes in handy because his sword acts as a supply. By creating a sphere roughly one tenth the size of a blitzball stadium, he was able to land safely. Now, he is just wandering around, looking for the ruins. A crash followed by a rustle in the bushes puts him on guard as he looks around, hoping it is not Grimm. "Who's there?" he asks.

"Relax my dear partner," a voice exclaims. Ren Glain emerges from the bushes. "Worry not, Tidus. For I, Ren Glain, master marksmen, shall join you in the quest for a relic of the ruins. Allow me to ward off these creatures of Grimm as we trek this dangerous forest meant to test the students of the fine academy, Beacon! Let our aim be-"

"Alright I get it, we are partners!" Tidus exclaims getting Ren to stop his monologue, "There is no need to get so dramatic. How does Airu put up with you?"

"She calls me a 'fucking drama queen' like a bitch." Elsewhere, Airu sneezes.

"Are you alright?" asks Auron.

"Yeah, I think Ren just called me a bitch," she responds.

"Alright." The two continue as Tidus and Ren look back to each other.

"Let's get going then, shall we," suggests Tidus. Something causes a loud roar behind them. They turn to see a Ursa crashing through the woods.

"Shit, we better take care of this fast," curses Ren Glain.

"WOOHOO!" exclaims a rather chipper female.

"What was that?" asks Tidus. Then they notice orange hair popping out from behind the Grimm. Wearing a black vest over a white sleeveless shirt, with a heart cut out by her cleavage, and a pink skirt with pink fingerless gloves, the young woman looks to be having fun.

"Hey!" she calls out to them, "Have you guys seen Ren?" Tidus points to Ren Glain.

"Not me," corrects Ren, "She has a friend named Ren. I met them last night."

"Oh," Tidus replies, still confused.

"What the hell possessed you to ride an Ursa?"

"I fell on it?" the girl lies, "Anyways, I am Nora Valkyrie. I need to find Ren! Bye!" Nora turns her Grimm and lets it charge through in search of Lie Ren, while making some weird noise.

"That, was something," states Ren Glain, "We should get going." Ren draws his pistols from off of his hips. He leads the two through the forest, following his compass from his eyepiece.

* * *

 **Sorry to cut it off, but that is where I ended it. I think the battles against the Nevermore and Deathstalker are deserving of a chapter to themselves, so yeah.**

 **Also, we got a look and Tidus's Semblance, hydrokinesis. I felt that his connection to water fit, plus his sword has freaking water covering the blade, giving him access to a supply at all times.**

 **Partners are Tidus and Ren, and Auron and Airu. Can you guess the team name? And don't worry, it follows the color rule.**

 **I am also realizing I never said what happened to Ren Glain as he landed, he was the crash by Tidus. He fell on his ass.**

 **Anyways, I hope you have a good day, and I will see you next time.**


	6. Chapter 5: Checkmate

**I am back. So I decided to post at least one chapter a day until Sunday, at that time I will limit it to Tuesdays and Fridays. I know it will mean less chapters, but the wait won't be too long, right.**

 **Anyways, I want to thank you all for the support. I nearly doubled my views yesterday getting 133 alone, which means you people actually want to read this. Yay for me. I also want to thank the following for following or favoriting it.**

 **Favorite: dragondroid100, Lazy Author with writers block.**

 **Follow: dragondroid100**

 **Thank you guys so much.**

 **So everyone, I want you all to sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Checkmate**

Auron and Airu make their way out to a large clearing where they notice a rather busty blonde and a black haired girl with a bow examining some ruins. "So Yang made it here already," Auron comments.

"Who, the blonde next to bow girl?" Airu asks.

"Yes, let's go." Auron and Airu proceed to the ruins where they notice a number of pedestals, some of which have chess pieces. "Ozpin has some sense of humor."

"What do you mean?"

"Look around at the pieces, notice how each piece, no matter the color, has two of a kind. Two pieces exactly the same for two pairs. Who ever picks the same piece we do will be our teammates."

"You're right, Ozpin is a pretty funny guy. Do you care what piece we take?"

"Not really, take your pick." Auron looks over to see Yang pick up a white knight. "Though I rather not take the white knight. I think Ruby wants to be on a team with her sister."

"Yeah, how about the black queen?"

"Works for me." Airu picks it up. The two walk towards the center of the ruins, where Yang and bow girl notice them.

"Auron, you made it. No Tidus?" asks Yang.

"Haven't found him yet," he responds, "But he can handle himself pretty well. And you are?" Auron looks to bow girl when he asks this.

"Blake," she responds. She looks over to Airu. "Aren't you the eagle faunas who called Weiss a bitch."

"Yes I am," Airu states proudly, "My name is Airu. Also, I don't like the term 'eagle faunas,' I prefer 'Harpy.'"

"I will keep that in mind." A loud, feminine scream catches Auron and Yang's attention while Blake and Airu look up to a large Nevermore.

"Some girl is in trouble!" Yang exclaims as Jaune is launched through the air towards the Nevermore. "Blake, did you hear that?" Yang looks over to see a red speck fall from the bird towards the flying boy. The two collide and are sent into the tree behind the group. At this point, Tidus and Ren Glain show up and stand by Blake and Yang.

"Did Ruby just fall out of the sky?" Tidus asks. Before she can answer, a familiar Ursa crashes through the forest before falling over. Nora gets off its back and looks at the fading body of the Ursa.

"Awww, it's broken," she states. Lie Ren comes running from the forest behind her breathing heavily.

"Nora," he pants, "Never… do that again." He looks up to find her already at the ruins grabbing a white rook.

"I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!"

"Did she just ride an Ursa?" Airu asks in disbelief. Before Yang can answer, again, she is interrupted by Pyrrha's scream as she runs from a Deathstalker, narrowly avoiding its stinger. Looking toward the group, Pyrrha notices the young knight.

"Jaune!" she exclaims running toward the group. Ruby rolls out of the tree, landing on the ground near Yang. The blonde sister runs over to Ruby.

"Ruby!" Yang calls.

"Yang!" Ruby replies. The two were about to hug when…

"Nora!" An excited Nora shoots up between them, knocking the sisters off balance. Airu puts her face into her hand.

"What was the fucking point in that Nora?" she asks in a defeated tone.

"Uhhhhh." Nora trails off as she tries to think of something.

"That's what I thought."

"Did she run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?" Blake asks, turning the group back to the problem at hand. This seemed to anger Yang as she begins to emit heat and her eyes turn red.

"I can't take it anymore!" belows Yang, "Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!" Two seconds go by as Airu begins to wonder about something.

"Does anyone know where Ice Queen is?" she asks. On instinct, the entire group looks up to the Nevermore. On the talon hangs Weiss, trying her best to not fall. Despite the distance, everyone can hear her clearly now.

"How could you just leave me?!" Weiss complains, more so to Ruby than anyone else.

"I said 'jump!'" Ruby defends.

"She is going to fall," predicts Blake.

"She will be fine," assures Ruby.

"She's falling."

"I got her," declares Airu as she gets a running start. With a leap, the harpy takes off at jet speed toward the falling heiress. What she doesn't see is Jaune using the branch as a springboard, and manages to get to Weiss first.

"Just… dropping in," Jaune jokes. Weiss doesn't say anything, mostly because she realizes what is about to happen. Jaune looks down as gravity takes effect once more, and the two begin falling. Luckily for one of them, Airu swoops in for the save… of Jaune. With a graceful catch she slowly lowers the knight to the ground while the heiress lands with a loud thud.

Getting up, Weiss looks over to the laughing harpy saying, "My hero," in a pissy tone. She then tries to walk, but stops when her back cracks, and not in a good way. "My back." Taking a minute to relax, the white haired girl makes her way over to the group.

"Great, the gang's all here," Yang points out, "Now we can all die together."

"Not if I can help it!" Ruby declares as she charges the Death Stalker. To everyone's surprise, Auron is the first one to run after her. The Grimm takes a swipe at Ruby that should of knocked her back, but it was blocked by Auron's large katana.

"Go! Now!" he commands, and Ruby does what she is told, running back to the group. Unfortunately, the Nevermore had over ideas, pinning her down by the cloak with one of its large feathers. Auron gets knocked back by the Death Stalker as it charges after the young girl.

"Ruby! Get out of there!" exclaims Yang.

"I am trying!" she yells back. Weiss and Airu charge the Grimm, both grabbing their ice weapons. The Death Stalker raises it's golden stinger and looks to strike, but the attack is stopped by a lot of ice.

"You, are so childish," comments Weiss. Ruby looks up to see Weiss with her rapier in the ground and ice coating the land around it, trapping the Grimm's feet.

"Yeah, well, she is still young, Weiss," adds Airu. Her blue tassel butterfly sword still misty from launching a wave of ice, creating a wall trapping the stinger.

"Still, I suppose I can be a little difficult. If you stop trying to show off, I'll be nicer." She was directing this towards Ruby.

"I wasn't showing off," Ruby argues. The Weiss removes her rapier from the ground while Airu takes out the wing from Ruby's cloak. "I want you to know I can do it."

"You're fine." Weiss walks off.

"Don't sweat it Ruby, Ic- Weiss is telling you good job in her own bi- special way," reassures Airu.

"Guys, that thing is circling back," Jaune warns. The group looks to the Nevermore as it looks ready to strike again.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" exclaims Airu, "Any pair that hasn't grabbed a relic, grab one now. Then we need to get back to Beacon."

"Right, we need to grab the artifact and get back to the cliff," adds Ruby, "There is no point fighting these things."

"Run and live, that's a plan I can get behind." Ruby, Jaune, and Tidus run to the artifacts. Ruby takes the white knight, Jaune the rook, and Tidus the white queen. The three return to the other nine.

The Nevermore caws, alerting the group. Ren Glain is the first to come up with a plan. "Hide!" he exclaims as the group does so. The Nevermore flies over, but the Death Stalker manages to break out of the ice.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Airu exclaims as she and Auron begin running with Jaune, which alerts the Nevermore. It fires another round of feathery projectiles.

"Nora, distract it!" commands Lie Ren. Nora leaps into the air, launching several shells from her grenade launcher. The attacks bursts into pink electricity that causes the Nevermore to retreat for a moment. The oranged haired maniac fails to notice the Death Stalker behind her until Lie Ren and Blake attack it with a cross slash, which does nothing but aggravate it. Weiss manages to use her 'Glyph' Semblance to catch Nora and prevent her falling for her death.

Everyone splits up as the bridge they were standing on breaks apart, leaving Auron, Airu, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Lie Ren to deal with the Death Stalker while Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Ren Glain, and Tidus have to fight the Nevermore. Auron looks to Airu, "What's the plan?" he asks.

"We need to get past its armor," she commands, "If we can't, we are fucked."

"Is there anything that can break it?" wonders Jaune, slowly losing hope.

"I think I can do it," Auron admits, "I feel like now is a good time so show this off."

"If I may, what are you showing us, Auron?" asks Pyrrha.

"What I believe to be my Semblance, or at least, a part of it." Auron steps in front of his group as his sword begins to glow yellow with aura. The blade rests on his shoulder and his left sleeve flapping in the wind created from the outpour of energy. He closes his eyes and moves his left arm forward. With a quick snap, his eyes shoot open, now showing the same yellow hue. He chants, "Your pain shall be twofold!" before charging the Grimm. The beast does the same. His body begins to glow as the two close in. When they are mere inches away, Auron grips his blade with both hands and raises it above his head. He shouts, "Armor Break!", and swings his blade down with a diagonal slash. The two emerge from each other, back to back. Then, the Grimm's mask and bone armor shatter, leaving it exposed for the rest of the party to attack.

Within minutes, the creature of Grimm falls and begins to dissolve. The party runs to Auron as he rests his blade on his shoulders. "That was incredible!" Nora exclaims, "I mean, you were yellow and then the wind and then you broke its armor in one hit! You have to tell me how you did that! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" She is quickly silenced by Lie Ren putting his hand over her mouth.

"As I said, that was part of my Semblance," replies the former guardian, "It's called 'Break,' and it allows me to cripple my opponent's strength, defense, Dust strength, or Dust resistance. I find it useful, but if I use it too much, it drains my Aura very quickly." While part of it isn't entirely true, it is the best explanation for it in this world.

"If only I had a Semblance that cool," Jaune complains.

"You just have to discover it, Jaune," assures Pyrrha.

"She is right," Auron continues, "And you should take value in whatever your's is. Don't be jealous of other's stories, and make your own. Only then, will you be the hunter you desire to be."

"Yeah, you're right Auron," replies Jaune. The group look on as the others facing the Nevermore.

* * *

Yang hops back down onto the columns after firing a few shells into the Nevermore's mouth. The giant raven manages to recover quite quickly. The other five on the other pillars look on as the giant bird gets ready to charge again. Ren Glain creates a SMG using his 'Construction' Semblance, allowing him to create weapons and ammo in exchange for Aura. Tidus notices this while Ruby shouts orders to the group, "We need to stun it long enough! If we can do that, we can execute my plan."

Tidus thinks for a minute before yelling to Ren Glain, "Hey, can you create a bomb about this big?" he asks, his hands referencing something about the size of a blitzball.

"Yeah, but it will use up the rest of my Aura!" he claims, "You better not miss."

"Don't worry, just toss it up high when you get it done. Ruby, keep it in one place and I can stun it for you!" The young girl nods.

"Alright," Ruby acknowledges the plan. Ruby shoots forward, using both her scythe and Semblance to bounce off the columns. The Nevermore tries to track her, but the fast movements seemed to irritate the creature. Ren Glain finishes the bomb and throws it up high.

"Now!" he exclaims as Tidus turns and launches himself into the air. Draining all the water from his sword, Tidus creates a large dome of water below the bomb. Once inside, he turns away from the bird and starts a backflip. "Checkmate!" is all Ren Glain can say before the bomb closes in as Tidus is now upside down and with one swift kick, he launches the bomb like a blitzball. The projectile rockets toward the Nevermore, which stopped trying to focus on Ruby. Upon contact, the bomb explodes in the Grimm's face, causing it to stagger, right where Ruby wanted it.

Blake's weapon is separated by its ribbon, which is currently being pulled back by Ruby and Weiss. It looks like a giant slingshot, with Ruby as the ammo. They fire the young girl, sending her flying toward the giant bird. She grabs its neck with her scythe, and with the help of Weiss's glyphs, runs up the side of a mountain with the Grimm in tow. At the top, the head goes up with Ruby while the body falls down with the rose petals. "See ya!" Tidus exclaims, tossing his sword in the air, catching it, and swinging it to the side.

The group rejoins at the center of the ruins, "That was a thing," says Yang.

"Are you kidding, that was awesome!" Tidus exclaims.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Ruby asks, "The kick was so cool."

"It was my signature 'Sphere Shot.' Back at Spira, some students started playing this sport called blitzball. It is like soccer, but under water. We would play in this giant dome and the games were so fun. I was the star player of the Zanarkand Abes. Keepers couldn't touch that shot."

"Well, we should get back, looks like the others have been done for a while," says Ren Glain, bringing the attention to the others, "They were eating popcorn in lawn chairs. I am not even going to question the logic behind it.'

"Yeah, that's pretty weird," agrees Weiss. The group walks back to the other before heading back to the cliff.

* * *

 **Done, fin, whatever, this chapter is over. This was a fun one to write and I felt really showed off the character's new abilities, mostly Auron and Tidus.**

 **So, for Semblances, I gave Auron 'Breaker,' which is essentially the Power and Armor Break attacks he uses in game. I couldn't really think of one special to him, so I went with that. The fact about it drains his Aura quickly is because using that in long paths with lots of fights does result in him dropping MP quickly, so I made sure that he can only use it so often.**

 **As for Ren Glain, I gave him 'Digistruct.' I got the idea when playing Borderlands 2 actually and felt it fit him. He can create weapons, bombs, and ammo using his Aura, though they are limited to live ammo as opposed to Dust. It adds to his arsenal and in Isle of Warriors, he was suppose to have an attack that results in him pulling out a lot of guns and shooting his opponents, so it made sense.**

 **Airu hasn't shown hers off yet, and I don't plan on showing it off til the time is right. You can probably guess pretty easily, but I won't say if you are right or not.**

 **Anyways, thank you guys for reading and I will see you all in the next time, where we finally get the team name for the group.**


	7. Chapter 6: AART

**I'm back.**

 **Here is the next chapter and hopefully it actually alerts people that there is a new chapter. It kept reading that the last time I updated was on Tuesday, despite the fact I uploaded it yesterday.**

 **Anyways, if you didn't notice the title, we get to see the new team's name. Yay. Plus some other fun shit will happen so just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: AART**

Everyone makes it to Beacon back just fine, and now Ozpin is designating teams. "Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark," he reads off the names one by one, "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, lead by Cardin." There was a wave of clapping before they were ushered off the stage.

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR, led by Jaune." Everyone, including Jaune, looked shocked. His team all praised him and looked ready to follow their leader's orders.

"Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose." Another round of applause followed while Weiss looks shocked and pissed. The four make their way off the stage.

"And finally, Auron Ronin. Ren Glain. Tidus Abe. Airu Mirai. The four of you retrieved the black and the white queen pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team AART (pronounced 'Art'), led by Airu Mirai." The crowd claps once more as her group circles around her.

"Nice job Airu," congratulates Tidus.

"You deserve it," agrees Ren.

"Wherever you lead, I will follow," promises Auron.

"Thanks guys, now let's kick some ass!" exclaims Airu. The team cheers as they make their way off the stage.

Tired from the events of the day, Team AART makes their way to their new dorm room, which happens to be next door to Team RWBY's. The four otherworlders step into the new room and just take it in. There is four beds and two desks in the room, all pushed to the sides of the room. "Looks like we will have some rearranging to do," says Auron.

"Yeah, we could do two beds on either side with a desk in between," suggests Airu.

"Works for me, I still have to link my scroll to my eyepiece tonight," agrees Ren Glain.

"Alright, so what time are classes in the morning?" asks Tidus. Airu grumbles at the thought of classes.

"Nine in the morning," she responds, "Which means I have to be up at six just so you three don't see me changing."

"Or you could use the bathroom while we change out here."

"Maybe, so let's be out of here by seven-thirty so we can get breakfast before class. That alright with everyone?" The team nods in agreement. They move the beds to the desired positions before going to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, the team wakes to the sound of alarms at six-thirty. They all get dressed in their new uniforms, much to Airu's discomfort. The guys all got white shirts under blue shirts with a black suit jacket. Auron of course, doesn't use his left sleeve, and lets it hang. Airu has a similar outfit with a white blouse, the suit jacket, but a red skirt instead of black dress pants. Plus, she has to squeeze her wings into her uniform because there is no slits in the back, to which she is going to need a bigger size top for them to fit. She decides to just cut the slits tonight.

"Everyone ready?" she asks her team, who all nod their heads. They make it to the cafeteria and enjoy a nice quiet breakfast of pancakes and fruit. She was a little surprised neither RWBY or JNPR showed up, but they chose not to worry about it. It was about eight-thirty before they decided to head to class. Their class for the morning is with Professor Port.

Team AART is already seated at their desks when Team RWBY and JNPR come rushing in with five seconds before the bell. They take their seats as well, and Professor Port begins to ramble on about his times as a Hunter. Airu half listened, mainly in case he started talking about something important. Ren Glain set his computer to record the lecture and turn it to notes. Auron and Tidus payed attention, but didn't do much else. There seemed to be a lot of commotion from Team RWBY as the Yang and Blake begin laughing at a drawing of Ruby's.

"The moral of the story," Professor Port continues, catching the class's attention, "A true huntsmen must be honorable! A true huntsmen must be dependable! A true huntsmen strategic, well-educated, and wise! So who among you believes to be the embodiment of these traits?" Two hands shoot up. One belonging to Weiss, the other to Airu. "Oh ho ho, this should be interesting. The two of you, get into your gear, we are going to have a little competition." Weiss and Airu leave the room.

The two women return. Weiss is back in her white combat skirt while Airu is in her old combat gear, allowing her wings to be quite visible. They walk past the class towards the front, Team RWBY cheering for Weiss.

"Go Weiss!" Yang cheers.

"Fight well," says Blake while waving a flag with 'RWBY' written on it. As the two walk past her, she stares intently at Airu's wings.

"Yeah, represent Team RWBY!" exclaims Ruby, which seems to get Weiss's attention more than the others.

"Ruby! I am trying to focus!" Weiss snaps at her leader. This earns her a slap on the back of her head from Airu. "What was that for?!"

"Muscle spasm," lies Airu. Weiss gets even more angry as she steps into the small ring the professor has set up.

"Alright girls, you will each be fighting the same enemy," the professor explains, "The person who defeats it the fastest wins, and will receive a few extra credit points. Airu, if you would please step outside the classroom so as to not copy your opponent's strategy."

"Certainly," replies the harpy. She walks back out of the classroom.

"Alright, let the match begin!" Using his axe, Professor Port cuts the lock on the first cage, letting loose a Boarbatusk Grimm. The pig like Grimm charges instantly, catching Weiss off guard. She manages to bring her rapier, Myrtenaster, to deflect the attack and roll out of the way.

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby cheers. Auron looks on before turning to Tidus.

"Weiss will snap at Ruby at any second, and it won't be pretty," he states so only the blonde can hear him.

"Yeah," is all Tidus can say. Weiss charges the beast and tries to stab through it's skull, but the Grimm traps her sword with its tusks.

"Come on Weiss, show it who's boss!" Weiss turns to Ruby with a nasty glare, only for her sword to be ripped out of her hands. The blade is tossed one way while the girl is thrown another. The Boarbatusk charges again, but Weiss manages to get out of the way while it crashes into one of the desks. Crawling to her weapon, she gets up with her rapier once more. "Weiss! Go for its belly! The is no armor underneath-"

"Stop telling me what to do!" snaps Weiss. The Grimm begins launching itself at while while spinning like a ball. Weiss manages to get one of her glyphs up to block the attack, sending it to its back. With a small leap, Weiss stabs the creature in its underbelly, killing it. As it begins to fade, Professor Port announces her time.

"Three minutes, and twenty-two seconds," he states, "Good job Miss Schnee. Miss Mirai, you can come in now." Airu and Weiss walk past each other as they switch positions. Weiss stands by the door, but she looks on as Airu faces her opponent. Airu draws her rapier as well, leaving her butterfly swords on her wings. "Alright, let the match begin!" Once more, the lock is cut and out charges another Boarbatusk.

Airu was ready, stepping to the side of the charging boar, she gets behind it as it passes her. She strikes at its back, sending electricity through its spine. Feeling the shock, the Grimm squeals and charges at Airu again. She stabs forward, but like Weiss, her blade is caught in the creature's tusks. Struggling for control, she decides to roll back, bringing the Grimm over her. Using one hand to balance, she lets go of the rapier and let's the Boarbatusk land on its back. Its life ends with a quick draw slash of her red tasseled butterfly sword. Airu returns her butterfly sword to her scabbard as her rapier falls from the air. Moving her hand to the side, the harpy catches the sword with grace and precision, having her hand perfectly on the handle.

"That was an excellent show Miss Mirai," the professor praises as Airu sheathes her rapier, "You show the true mark of a huntress-in-training. You defeated that in thirty-five seconds. Miss Schnee could learn a thing or two from you."

"Thank you professor," she replies.

"That is all the time we have, class dismissed." The class dismisses while Auron and Ruby go to catch up with Weiss, who is currently storming off. The two red warriors catch up with the heiress.

"Weiss!" Ruby calls out.

"What?" questions the heiress, clearly pissed off.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being-" Before she can finish, she is cut off by Weiss.

"What's wrong with _me_? What's wrong with _you_? You're suppose to be a leader, but all you have been is a nuisance."

"What did I do?!" Signs of anger begin to show in the leader's voice.

"That's just it. You have done nothing to earn your position. Back in the forest you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"

"Weiss, where is this coming from? I thought you believed in working as a team!"

"Not a team led by you. I deserve better. I think-" Her rant is interrupted by the commanding voice of the former guardian.

"You _deserve_ nothing!" exclaims Auron, clearly fed up with the heiress's attitude. "You sit here and complain about the antics of your leader because you feel you deserve better. You have done nothing to prove it. No one cares where you came from, because here you are all on the same ground. We all are skilled, we all have experience, we are all the same here. It is best you learn now that life won't go the way you want it. It is time you learned that you are not the center of every story."

"Why do you care? It is not like she is your leader," Weiss retorts, trying to stay on top in the argument.

"Is Ice Queen being a bitch again?" Airu asks from behind the group.

"And you! You have no respect, no dignity, you just walk around like nothing even matters. You need to learn some responsibility and respect." Airu raises a brow looking a little pissed.

"I need to learn respect? From what I heard, you were just insulting your leader for being a child. News flash, bitch, so are you. You are just a spoiled brat who never learned the meaning of 'no.' You walk around here like you own the place, demanding the best. Then when you are given opportunities, you complain about them not going your way."

"Oh, what do you know, bird-brain?!" This made Airu's eye twitch. She grab's Weiss's collar and looks her in the eye.

"I suggest you watch what you say girlie. You piss me off any farther, and I will shove my rapier up your fucking ass!" Airu puts the girl down, looking scared for her life. She quickly storms off before anything else can be said. Auron decides to walk after her while the two leaders stand there as Ozpin walks up, sipping his coffee.

"Now that didn't seem to go so well," he states. Airu looks at him with a faked dumbfound look.

"You don't fucking say."

"I get the point, you don't need to use such language." Airu takes a deep breath to calm down.

"I know, she just pushed me a little too far."

"Understandable."

"Is she right?" Ruby asks very hurt by her teammates comments.

"That remains to be seen." Ozpin takes a sip of his coffee.

"And until then, don't worry about it Ruby," Airu gives Ruby a pat on the back before walking away.

* * *

Auron walks out on to the balcony where Professor Port and Weiss are talking. "Hone your skills," the professor states looking like he was in the middle of a statement, "Perfect every technique, and be not the best leader, but the best person you can be." Auron clears his throat to get their attention before speaking.

"Sometimes being a follower is more important that a leader," he begins, "You have to be willing to listen, to respect, and to follow a leader. You have to put your own desires aside. But at the same time, a leader has to earn the respect and willingness to follow. A leader has to listen to their followers and help everyone achieve their goals. One side can't exist without the other. Trust Ruby. Has she ever led you astray? Have you even given her a chance?"

"Well spoken Mister Ronin. I couldn't of said it better myself. I best be going, I have another class to teach." Professor Port leaves the two students. Auron was about to turn when Weiss speaks up.

"Thank you, Auron," she says.

"It was nothing. I think you should go see Ruby, she was pretty hurt by your words."

"Alright." Auron walks off, leaving Weiss by herself.

* * *

 **So there you have it. Airu, Auron, Ren, and Tidus are now Team AART. It was actually the only name I could come up with, which is kinda why these are the four in the story. I didn't even realize the color rule until after I was way past this part in terms of writing, but it still fits, as art encompasses all colors.**

 **I decided to put a twist on the whole fight in class because I always see the same thing where Weiss fights alone and the newcomer helps comfort Ruby. I figure Airu v Weiss would work well and show the difference in their battle strategies.**

 **Also, last names. I gave Tidus the last name of Abe because that was one of the biggest things in his life, and nothing else worked out. For now, let's just say that the Zanarkand Abes were named after Jecht. As for Auron Ronin, I thought a reference to these warriors fit Auron, as it even states that his style is similar to Ronin, or samurai without a master. Also, I was originally going to have his last name be Braska, as a reminder of his friend, but realized that it made no sense at all and changed it.**

 **Just stay tuned as the next chapter will be coming out tomorrow, and I hope it actually shows an update.**


	8. Chapter 7: Auorn's Date

**Okay, I am back now for real. This is the new and improved version, though not much really changes.**

 **I decided to do a couple of fluff chapters to add a little more to the story, especially with character development. As you can see if you look at the title, this is Auron's date with Coco. This is my first attempt at any form of romance, so bear with me if it is horrible, the next chapter should be better.**

 **Also, thanks needs to be given to those who followed and favorited this story:**

 **Follows: dorfdel, gundamfreedom007, speedy24**

 **Favorites: dorfdel**

 **Thank you guys so much for the support.**

 **Anyways, lets get to the story, so just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Auron's Date**

It is Friday, and Auron is studying some new material, Tidus is lying in bed, and Airu and Ren are sparing in the training room. Remembering something, Tidus looks over to his friend asking, "So when are you suppose to have your date?"

"I told you, it's not a date," corrects Auron, "And I don't know. I haven't seen Coco since the first night."

"So that's her name. You better make sure you to wear something nice."

"We are going clothes shopping, I think I will be fine." Auron scroll goes off. He picks it up and looks at his messages, there is one new one from Coco. "Speak of the devil." Another new one, this one is from a man listed as 'Rage.' _I heard that._ Auron looks confused before he looks at his other message. _Hey Old Man, been awhile. I know you said yes to getting you some new outfits, so let's do it tomorrow. Meet me in the courtyard at noon tomorrow. -Coco._

"Better get ready for your date, you don't want to mess it up, 'Old Man,'" mocks Tidus who was looking over Auron's shoulder. Airu and Ren Glain walk through the door hearing this comment, the latter with a towel around his neck.

"Wait wait wait," stammers Airu, "Auron has a date."

"Yeah, tomorrow."

"When the hell did this happen?"

"During the night before initiations."

"Holy shit! From what I knew, Auron was the type who just sat at home and mas-"

"Airu!" exclaims Ren, "Our files said he was single during the events in Spira, nothing about his personal hobbies."

"What files?" Auron asks.

"Nothing," Airu denies, "What matters is that you get ready for your date."

"It is not a date, we are just shopping for clothes."

"For who?"

"Me."

"Whose idea?"

"Hers."

"It's a date. You better head to bed, you don't want to fall asleep during your date."

"Would you please stop calling it that? If it was a date, she would of told me."

"No she wouldn't buddy," corrects Tidus, "No offense Airu, but women aren't that simple."

"None taken."

"Trust me when I say this, she wants you, but won't say it up front."

"And what experience would you have with women?" asks Auron.

"Star player of the Zanarkand Abes, all the women wanted to date me. That was of course before Spira."

"Whatever, I am heading to bed."

"Alright, have fun tomorrow." Auron and Tidus go to their respective beds, leaving Airu and Ren Glain standing around.

"How are we going to tell them about what we know?" Ren asks in a hushed tone after taking a seat on his bed, "They will start asking questions soon."

"When it comes to that, we tell them the truth," answers Airu, "We can't hide it forever, at least from them. RWBY maybe, but not these two. For now, we say nothing."

"Alright, well good night."

"Good night."

* * *

The next morning, Auron got up and dressed in some casual clothes, a black tank top with black sweats and a red sweatshirt with a zipper down the middle. His left arm sat in his sleeve while his right was normal.

He grabbed a late breakfast at ten before he went to the courtyard about half an hour early. Surprisingly, Coco was there waiting for him already. "Well aren't you here early," she says as Auron approaches.

"I could say the same for you," he replies.

"You ready to go, Old Man?"

"I am not that old." Auron smiles anyways. He nods and Coco struts away, prompting him to follow. After taking an airship down to Vale, the two walk around the city for a few minutes before reaching a store called 'Trench.' Inside is a wide variety of combat and casual clothing.

"Alright, time to find you some new outfits," Coco announces.

"What about my old ones?" Auron asks.

"While they aren't bad, they are a bit worn and out of date. We are here to find you something you look good in." Coco walks around the store, grabbing different items and places them in her arms. The amount she carries is more than what most people would, even if they are clothes. After she amounts a fairly large pile, she leads Auron to the changing rooms. She sorts the clothes into stacks of two to three articles each. Finally she grabs one stack and hands it to Auron. "Go try this on."

"Alright." Auron goes into the changing room. When he walks out, he is wearing a pair of tight green pants, a green undershirt and a yellow jacket, to which he places his arms like he usually does. "How do I look?"

"Green is so not your color. Yellow could work, but not like this." She grabs another stack. "Try these instead." Auron changes and walks out. This time he has some blue pants with two pieces of red fabric hanging off of either side. His shirt is a darker blue with a red katana logo on his chest. There is no jacket and his arms just hang loose.

"How about now."

"This with your haori could work well together. Definitely a keeper. We have a few more to try on, so let's get cracking."

* * *

The two walk out with Auron carrying two large bags in each hand. They managed to get about ten new outfits for Auron, only two of which would allow him to fight effectively. It was about four now. "Hey, you hungry?" Coco asks.

"I could eat," Auron replies shifting the bags into his left hand now in its sling position.

"Cool, I know a great restaurant down the road. Call your locker and put your clothes there. They will be back when we get there."

"Alright." Auron pulls out his scroll and calls for his locker. He places his new clothes inside and sends it back to the school.

"Cool, let's go, Old Man." She grabs Auron's hand as she leads him down the street to a restaurant called 'BananaBeetle's.'

"BananaBeetle's? Alright, I'll try it." The two walk in and ask for a table for two. The host walks them to their booth and the two sit across from each other.

"So, Auron, where did you learn to use a blade like that?"

"Spira. Why do you ask?"

"One of my teammates wields a blade like you do. I thought maybe you went to the same school."

"I see." The waiter comes around and the two order their drinks and food.

"That attack you did, the one that broke the Death Stalker's armor. What was that, because I have never seen anyone capable to do that easily?"

"It was part of my Semblance. I can use it to lower an opponent's defense, attack, or resistance to Dust."

"That did more than lower it, you broke through it."

"That's why the attack is called 'Armor Break.'"

"You sir, are a badass." Auron smiles.

"Why thank you. What kind of a weapon do you use?"

"A handbag."

"Must be a pretty heavy handbag."

"When it is also a mini gun, yeah it kinda is." Their drinks are placed in front of them. Auron takes a drink of his water and spits it out in shock, despite the lateness of the reaction. "That's not the reaction most have." The two laugh at the hilarity of it all.

Their food comes. Auron chose to have a standard cheeseburger while Coco eats her chicken tenders with fries and coleslaw. Auron decides to ask the one thing that has been eating at his brain all day, "Coco, I have to ask, was this suppose to be a date." Coco finishes her bite of food before responding.

"Yeah, what else would you call this?" Auron looks down, which causes Coco to chuckle. "You really didn't know what this was."

"My teammates tried to tell me, I guess I was a little embarrassed to admit it." Auron lets out a chuckle as well. "It's been a long time since I have been out on one, I guess I wasn't realizing what was going on."

"Well, now you know. What do you say to catching a movie tonight?"

"That would be nice. Let me pay for it at least. You have done so much already."

"Why, aren't you a gentleman." Coco pays for the dinner and the two walk out. "I hear the new Mason Matters movie is playing tonight."

"That sounds like a good idea." Auron had never seen any other Mason Matters movies, but decided to take her to see it anyways. He paid for the tickets and popcorn and the two head into the theater.

* * *

Auron and Coco step off the airship on their way back to Beacon. It was about eight-thirty and the sun had already set. The two began to walk into the building as Auron did something no one expected, he wrapped his left arm over Coco's shoulder. "I thought you didn't use this arm," she comments.

"Well, you weren't on my right side," Auron replies with a wide grin. Coco leans her head in closer to the guardian as the two walk the dorms. Auron was taller, but not by a whole lot. The two finally make it to CFVY's dorm and Coco leaves Auron's side. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Me too. We should do this again some time."

"I agree. See you later." Auron turns around.

"Wait!" Auron turns back to find lips pressed against his. Not thinking, Auron returns the favor as the two stand in front of the door to Coco's dorm. They hold the embrace for a moment, then they back up from one another. "Not bad, Old Man." Auron looks stunned as she turns to her door. "Goodnight, Auron."

"Goodnight, Coco." She opens the door and enters the room. The door shuts behind her, leaving Auron all alone. His face is red as he walks back to his room. Tidus is standing there, waiting for him.

"What did I tell you?" he asks with a wild grin.

"You were right," Auron replies, still a bit red in the cheeks. Tidus wraps his arm around Auron's shoulder and leads him back into the room.

"Now, tell me everything that happened." The two enter the room as the door closes behind them.

* * *

 **So, yeah. Not much else to say here. I tried to make it a little funny and a little romantic. First attempt at this, so I hope it doesn't completely suck.**

 **Well, the second edit of this is now done at midnight, so I wish you all a good night.**


	9. Chapter 8: R&R

**Well, here we are, the second to last chapter of the week or uploads. This is another fluff chapter, and is actually short. Not much else to say, other than to sit back an enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: R &R**

Ren Glain, Lie Ren, and Nora decided to go do some training today. It is Saturday, so no classes. Auron had his date a few weeks back, and now the team had nothing to do. Airu and Auron decided to spar, and Tidus was showing off some of his blitzball skills to Jaune. But now, getting back to the Rens, the two had begun to hang out a bit, and today, they were hunting Grimm for some training. Nora came along because she had the strange urge to break an Ursa's legs. The three are now wandering in Emerald Forest. "So, how do you suggest we do this?" Lie Ren asks. He is dressed in his usual gear, a green combat outfit that looks to be inspired by what Ren Glain calls, the mythical land of 'China.'

"We will first journey through this forest in search of the creatures of Grimm," begins Ren Glain, "When we encounter such beasts, we will strike them down like heroes. This will proceed until we have lowered our own Auras down below one quarter remaining, or the sun begins to lower below the horizon, leaving its oranges and reds to paint the sky. Once said condition, which even occurs first, becomes true, we will head back to the glorious Beacon and feast like kings!"

"Yeah!" exclaims Nora as she pumps her fist in the air.

"With training, we shall become strong! We shall become vigilant! Soon, we will posses the strength to surpass any man, woman, child, or fiend we shall come across! We will be the conquers of evil!"

"I will be the QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE!"

"Dear Monty, what have I unleashed," Lie Ren asks with his face in his hand. He follows the two eccentrics with much discomfort. They manage to find a small pack of Beowolves not far from their starting point.

"Foul beasts up ahead," states Ren Glain. He draws his pistols, "Battle, engage!" He fires at the creatures with extreme accuracy and speed. He doesn't bother using any dust with these ones. Within seconds the entire pack is reduced to nothing.

"Yeah!" Nora exclaims, "That was awesome. You should teach Ren to shoot like that. It takes a _forever_ for him to kill some of those Grimm, but you took them out in seconds. Now that I think about it, you two are a lot alike. Not just in your name, but look. I mean, you both are guys, skinny, and have black hair, but Ren has little bit of pink, but I mean, it is like the same. And you both use two guns, Ren has blades on his but Ren can turns his into nightsticks, and not to mention you can shoot fire, ic-" Lie Ren places his hand over Nora's mouth.

"We get it, we are similar," says Lie Ren, hoping she would keep quiet.

"Why did you stop the fair maiden's exploits?" asks Ren Glain, "She was simply discussing her findings on our similarities. I found it most intriguing to hear it from her perspective. You sir, can be quite the sour puss. I have never seen anyone who can kill a mood like that other than Auron. Possibly my boring, loner of a b-" Lie Ren covers Ren Glain's mouth as well.

"You are so over-dramatic. Can we please get back to our training."

"I think me and Ren can take care of ourselves," Nora claims, "You should go back now Ren, and possibly learn to loosen up."

"Which one?" they both ask in unison.

"You go back," she points at Lie Ren, "And you stay here." She points to Ren Glain.

"I believe the fair maiden has spoken," Ren Glain states with a smug look on his face.

"Alright, but don't expect pancakes tomorrow," he taunts.

"AWWWWW!" Nora and Ren Glain whine. Lie Ren walks back to the school while the other two go back to the hunt.

* * *

Lie Ren sits at a lunch table alone. Auron was over with Coco right now, so he couldn't talk to the older hunter. Auron and Lie Ren got along well, often discussing many different matters of the world, but today was not going to be a day where they did so. Ruby notices the young man as she walks by his table.

"I thought you went with Ren and Nora to train today?" Ruby asks as she sits down.

"I was, but they told me to go home," he replies.

"Why?"

"Apparently I am a sour puss who dampens the mood faster than Auron. I guess they think I can't handle their eccentric personalities. Maybe they are right. Dealing with Nora is one thing, but two. It is like they made me with Nora's hyper activeness."

"Yeah, Ren Glain can get that way at times," comments Airu as she sits down with them, "Just tell him to shut up and call him a drama queen. Works for me."

"Two problems, one you and him are childhood friends, which is the only reason Nora lets me calm her down, and two, you use words and threats I am neither comfortable using, or capable doing."

"Then earn his respect."

"What?"

"Kick his ass, or give him a run for his money. Challenge him to a dual or something. Winner gets Nora."

"What?!"

"Hahaha, relax. I was kidding about that last part, but based on your reaction, you like her too."

"No. I mean we are friends and all. Wait! What do you mean, 'too?'"

"I mean I see the way Ren looks at Nora, it's the same look you have."

"It is kinda obvious, Ren," Ruby adds, "Speaking of dating, who is that girl with Auron?" Ren ignores the rest of the conversation, lost in his own thoughts. He wasn't ready to tell Nora anything yet, but a dual did seem like a good idea to keep Ren under control. He got up and went to his room. He didn't move when Nora came in and went to sleep instantly. Tomorrow, he would face Ren in a dual. The two already confirmed it with each other, and Ozpin agreed to witness the event.

* * *

Ten til noon. Ren Glain entered the training room with his team. The night before, Ren challenged him to a dual. It seemed like fun, but Ren had a feeling that Ren had more on his mind then fun. Honor. The only idea Ren Glain had to the challenge was honor. Ozpin entered, as he agreed to spectate the match. Then JNPR entered, leaving Ren and Ren in the middle of the ring.

"You ready?" Ren Glain asks.

"Yeah," Lie Ren replies. There is a fire in his eyes that Ren could tell he meant business.

The clock strikes noon and the two charge at each other. They don't bother with weapons, starting with hand-to-hand combat. Lie punches forward as Glain blocks and counters with a kick. Lie blocks the attack with his right hand and catches the leg. Bringing his left back, he attempts to strike the knee, but is struck in the face by Glain's right hand.

The two disengage and draw their pistols. A hail of bullets fly as they attempt to dodge and hit each other. Glain rolls back and fires two ice bullets at Lie's feet, causing him to slip. Lie manages to regain his balance as he dodges a flurry of fire shots. Glain reloads and the two face each other once more.

The two charge again, this time weapons drawn. Glain switches his to their nightstick form and swings with his right. Lie blocks the attack by hooking the weapon with his own blade and fires shots at point blank range. Glain tilts his head back in time and switches his other to its pistol form.

He uses Lies counter against him and swings the young man over him as he drops underneath. With the other Ren on the ground, he points his left pistol in Ren's chin, and his right, still in nightstick form, in his chest. "Winner!" Ozpin announces, "You two put on quite a match. Keep up the good work, both of you." Ozpin walks out of the room as the Rens put away their weapons.

"Great match," praises Ren Glain, "You would of had me if I hadn't tilted back when I did."

"Well, you won," replies Lie Ren. He looks to Nora in the stands. "She is all yours. You two deserve each other,"

"That's what this was about, who gets to date Nora? Listen Ren, that's not for you to decide. I have no power to decide either. It is what she wants. If it's me, then it's me. If it's you, it's you. Hell, if it's Jaune, it's Jaune. What matters is we let her decide when she is ready. Until then, we wait, and we don't complain about her decision. Alright?"

"Yeah, alright." Ren Glain wraps his arm around Lie Ren.

"Now, how about some victory pancakes for the winner!" Nora, hearing pancakes, practically teleport next to the two.

"Yay pancakes!" she exclaims, "I thought I was going to have to break your legs for more after yesterday."

"Alright, Ren," he glares at his former opponent, "I will make pancakes since you won."

"Pancakes! Pancakes! PANCAKES!" is all Nora could say as the three walked to JNPR's dorm.

* * *

 **So you guys got to see a bit of the Ren, Ren, and Nora dynamics. Yeah, Ren Glain would win, especially at this state of the timeline. I know that the fight was short, but when I went back to edit it, there really wasn't much else I felt I could add, sorry.**

 **Next chapter we will get back into the canon story so the chapters should be better. Feel free to follow, favorite, or even review. The only one I got was some advice to make sure I built things up before shit gets real. Until next time, have a good night and get ready for the next chapter tomorrow.**


	10. Chapter 9: A Hero's Story

**Alright everyone, I am here once more with a decent sized chapter today. This is also the last chapter before I switch to just Tuesdays and Fridays for posts.**

 **I appreciate the time you all take to read this, so thank you so much. Also, thanks to dragonmaycry12 for the favorite.**

 **There really isn't much else to say, so please sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: A Hero's Story**

Team AART and Team RWBY watch as Jaune and Cardin fight. The two are trying to show how to manage and use Aura in battle, but it looks more like an excuse for Cardin to beat up the leader of Team JNPR. Cardin rests his mace on his shoulder as Janue uses his blade to lean on. Cardin laughs at Jaune's exhaustion and Jaune tries to muster up some strength. He charges the young man and swings his sword, only to have the attack dodged. Cardin reels back and lands a counter attack with his mace.

The attack sends Jaune flying and causes him to lose his shield. He tries to attack again, but the attack is blocked by the mace. Cardin, being much stronger, pushes Jaune back. "This is the part where you lose," Cardin claims.

Jaune tries to sound tough, "Over my dead-" But he is cut off by Cardin's knee introducing itself to Jaune's gut. Jaune drops his sword as he falls to the ground. Cardin raises his mace over the young knight, but Glynda turns the light on.

"Cardin, that's enough!" she exclaims. Cardin grumbles but lowers his weapon. As he walks away, Glynda turns to the class. "Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match." She turns to the young man on the ground and begins to speak to him before turning back to the class. "Remember everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing. Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale." The class leaves as the bell rings.

* * *

Auron, Tidus, Airu, and Ren Glain are sitting with Teams RWBY and JNPR. Nora going on about some dream that Lie Ren keeps correcting, but Ren Glain, Ruby and Pyrrha are the only ones listening. Tidus turns to Jaune and sees him playing with his food. Pyrrha notices this as well. "Jaune, are you okay?" she asks.

"Huh?" He asks snapping back to reality, "Oh, yeah. Why?"

"Because you look like you are daydreaming," answers Tidus.

"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Look!" The blonde tries to put up a happy face while laughing nervously. He quickly loses it as he focuses on the members of CRDL picking on a girl with brown rabbit ears.

"Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school," reminds Pyrrha, drawing the attention back to the table.

"Nah… He just likes to mess around. You know, practical jokes."

"He is a _bully,_ not a friend," corrects Tidus.

"Name one time he 'bullied' me."

"He made you drop his books," replies Auron.

"He got your shield stuck in a door," says Lie Ren.

"He sent you into the air using a locker as a rocket," exaggerates Ren Glain, "I thought you were going to land in the sweatshops that make Lie Ren's clothes." Lie Ren gives Ren Glain a confusing stare before ignoring the comment.

"I didn't land that far from the school," Jaune argues.

"If you ever need help, you can just ask," offers Pyrrha.

"Guys, really, it's fine. Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone." The group turns back to Cardin's team as they begin pulling on the young girl's ears.

"Ow! That hurts," complains the young girl.

Auron looks as if he recognizes her. "Wait, is that Velvet?" he asks.

"Who?" Ruby asks, not recognizing the name.

"Velvet, she is one of Coco's teammates. I am going over there."

"Looks like Airu has you beat," responds Tidus. They group looks back to Airu, who is walking over to them, extremely pissed. Cardin's teammate, Sky, takes notice.

"Hey, looks like another one wants us to join in the fun," he snickers. Dove manages to get behind Airu and grabs her wing.

"Dude, these are so real, it looks like they are sensitive too," observes Dove. He grabs them harder and Airu winces in pain. She reels her arm back and elbows Dove in the face. He falls back with a broken nose as she turns to the other three.

"Touch my wings again, and you'll be sorry," she threatens. Team CRDL just snickers as Dove joins his teammates.

"Oh come on honey, we were just interested," Cardin replies in a sarcastic tone, "You should take it as a complement."

"You should also take my threat as one. The last person to touch them didn't live much longer." She begins walking over to the boys with a face that could scare an Ursa. "I see you boys like to pick on people with different body parts." She stops in front of Cardin and looks down. "But you see, you have a very special organ that I don't have. It would be a shame if it were, to be in pain." Airu grabs Cardin's, package, and begins to squeeze. "I mean, you have this, I have wings, and she has ears. We aren't really that different." She begins to twist and Cardin's face can only show pain. All confidence was drained from him, and his team. "Now, I suggest you run along before I make you eat your own dick, watch as you shit it out, and make you eat it again." She gives it one more yank and brings her knee up as well. The force of the attack sends his balls straight up and back into his body as he lets out a scream capable of breaking glass. Dogs begin howling outside as he drops down in pain.

Airu turns to his teammates and says, "Boo," and they run like hell. She turns to see Auron helping Velvet up and back to her dorm room, and then back to Cardin. "I hate people like you." She kicks him once more in the balls for good measure, and walks back to her table to finish her lunch.

"That, was something," comments Yang.

"He was a dick. I just gave him the same treatment he tried to give me and the girl."

"I am pretty sure he didn't go that far," says Ruby.

"Still, that should put him out of commission for a while. He is lucky I didn't go straight for my original plan."

"This sounds bad," comments Lie Ren as he places his head in his palm, "I am afraid to ask, but what was your original plan."

"To make him eat his dick, shit it out, and make him eat it again." Everyone begins to gag, even Ren Glain.

"That is way too far, even for him," he complains.

"I was pissed, and he is a fucking dick. By the way, where is Jaune." The group looks to where Jaune was sitting and realize he is gone.

"Probably on his way to his next class, we should get going as well." Everyone turns and proceeds to leave the cafeteria.

* * *

Airu sits in Professor Oobleck's class for history as the fast talking doctor breezes through the subject matter with such detail and speed, it makes it hard to take notes. He was currently discussing the Faunus War, which is something Airu is interested in, considering the world sees her as an eagle faunus. "Now!" the crazed professor exclaims, catching the class's attention. At least those who were awake. "Have any among you be subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?" A few hands go up, including Velvet's. Airu thinks back and realizes there have been a couple of times, and raises her hand.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence! I mean, just look what has happened to the White Fang! Now, which of you young scallions can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" Weiss raises her hand. "Yes?"

"The battle of Fort Castle," answers Weiss.

"Precisely! And who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" Jaune wakes up from his slumber, startled.

"Hey!" shouts Jaune. Oobleck zooms in front of the young man, bringing the attention to him.

"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! What is the answer?"

"Uhh… The answer is…" He looks around and notices Pyrrha's hands cupped around her eyes. "Binoculars!" Airu face palms at his stupid answer that he believes was right. Cardin howls in laughter and Oobleck zooms in front of him.

"Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject!"

"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an _animal_ than a soldier."

"Not true," Airu snaps, "You haven't learned to behave at all, and you're a little _bitch_. And for those wondering, a bitch is a female dog."

"You want to go, eagle slut!" The two glare at each other, but Oobleck stands between them.

"Now now, there is no reason to fight right now. Does anyone know the answer?"

"Night-vision," answers Pyrrha, "Most Faunus are known to have near perfect sight in the dark."

"General Lagune was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep," continues Blake, "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure." Cardin tries to get up, but is stopped by the speedy professor.

"Mr. Winchester! Would you and Mr. Arc please stay after for some additional reading. I believe you both could make use of it." The class goes on without a hitch from there. Once class is dismissed, everyone leaves the classroom. Pyrrha decides to hang back and wait for Jaune. Airu decides to wait with her.

"What are you planning?" asks the harpy.

"I am going to see if I can help Jaune with his training," replies the gladiator, "He and I have similar styles, so I know how he could improve."

"Want some help?"

"That would be nice. Are you willing?"

"Me, no. I don't think me being there would help. It would make Jaune think that it is to deal with Cardin, and I have enough on my plate with him myself. I was going to ask Tidus. I think he might be able to talk to him a little better. The blondes might have more in common than they think."

"Alright, tell Tidus to meet us on the roof tonight."

"Yeah, see you around." Jaune and Cardin walk out of the classroom, with Jaune being pushed to the ground. Airu stares the bully down and flexes her hand. Shivers go down his spine as he quickly runs away. Airu walks back to her dorm as Jaune and Pyrrha talk. Airu pulls out her scroll and sends Tidus a message. _Go to the roof ASAP._

* * *

Tidus walks up the stairs to the roof as it seems like Jaune and Pyrrha are arguing. "I-I don't belong here," states Jaune.

"That's a terrible thing to say!" argues Pyrrha, "Of course you do!"

"No I don't!" He sighs as he turns to Pyrrha. "I wasn't really accepted into Beacon. I got my hands on some fake transcripts and lied."

"What? But why?"

"Cause this is always what I've wanted to be! My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes! I wanted to be one, too. I was just never good enough." He begins to look angry. "I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero! I am tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in a tree while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand? If I can't do this myself, then what good am I?" Pyrrha tries to reach a hand out, but he just shrugs her off. "Just, leave me alone. Okay?"

"If that is what you think is best." Pyrrha walks away as Tidus passes her. He sits down next to the blonde.

"What do you want?" he snaps.

"Well, I was going to assist in your training," Tidus admits, "But looks like that isn't happening."

"I don't need help."

"Okay, then I won't help you. Let's talk."

"What about?"

"You of course. So, why don't you want help?"

"Because if I can't get stronger on my own, what's the point?"

"So, you want to do things on your own, why?"

"Because I want to be a hero, not a damsel."

"That didn't answer my question."

"What do you mean?"

"You said you wanted to be a hero. What does being alone have to do with it?"

"All the stories that my family ever told me were of-"

"I am going to stop you there. You already have two things wrong. First, those are stories from the past, and they are about the accomplishments. They never talk about who trained them, who helped them, who was there for them when they did it. Second, those are their stories, not your's."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this is your story. You make it happen. But, if you are just going to sit around complaining, then maybe it's not worth the time to listen. I have told you some of my tales about blitzball, but there is one thing that is always there to make it happen, my teammates. Keep that in mind." Tidus looks off into the distance. "I better get going, unless you want to try sparring tonight."

"I think I want to sit out here a little more."

"Alright." Tidus gets up and walks away, but stops for a second. "And just so you know, nobody cares if you faked your papers. You are here right now, that means they think you have potential. Keep up the good work."

"Thanks, Tidus."

"Don't thank me yet." Jaune looks confused. "Thank me when you have become a hero." Tidus walks back down stairs and to his dorm for the night.

* * *

 **So there you have it, I know I combined the episodes a little, but it fits better this way. Jaune will, or at least has the offer, of training not only with Pyrrha, but with Tidus, but of course Cardin is in the way.**

 **Also, how many of you cringed when Cardin got on Airu's bad side. I know I did, and I wrote the damn thing. But to be honest, he deserves it.**

 **And those wondering why he mentioned blitzball and not defeating Sin, no one but Auron (Airu and Ren know but they don't know they know) knows what really happened, so saying his friends who helped him kill Sin would not help much.**

 **With all that said, it is time I let you all go. Review, favorite, or follow this story, I really enjoy the feed back. Thank you, and I will see you Tuesday with the second part of the Jaune sub arc.**


	11. Chapter 10: A Hero's Rising

**Well, it's Tuesday, so that means another chapter. Today will continue on with the Jaunedice arc from the last chapter, but because most of what happens occurred during the last chapter, it is a little short. I would have just combined them when I went to edit this one, but then I realized that I would have to change every chapter number, and I was not in the mood. I will make it up with a second chapter today, and I believe it is also a bit shorter.**

 **There really isn't much else to say, so just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: A Hero's Rising**

Airu walks down the hall, deciding a nice walk would do some good. As she is on her way back to her dorm, she notices Jaune sitting on the floor in front of his door. "Hey, did you forget your scroll in your room?" she asks as she stands over the blonde in her brown sleep shirt and shorts.

"No, I have it right here," he replies pulling out his scroll. Airu sits down across from him, wings spread out.

"So, what are you bitching about then?"

"I messed up, and now Cardin has me on a leash. Pyrrha won't even talk to me. I am starting to think coming to this school was a bad idea. I'm a failure."

"As much as I would like to agree with you, you're wrong."

"Hmm?"

"I don't know how, but you worked the system to get here. You have somehow won over the staff into making you a leader. Plus, you have a team that respects you enough to follow you to Hell and back, kick the Lord's ass, and be back in time for dinner." Airu's scroll goes off with a message from Rage. She reads it. _The kid could try, but they don't stand a chance against me. He would pee his pants just glancing at me._ She just rolls her eyes and looks back to Jaune.

"But I can't do anything right. My team deserves better."

"Yeah, but they earned you. Look, I don't care if you were a complete faliure when you were a kid or five minutes ago, that stops now. If you believe to be a failure, then you believe the team you lead is a failure. Do you think they are a failure?"

"No, but-"

"No buts. Now man up, grow a dick, and go lead your team." Jaune gets up with Airu. "And kick Cardin's ass for me. I haven't seen him around to do it." Jaune's scroll goes off. Airu manages to see it's Cardin. "Speak of the devil." Airu's scroll goes off as well, again from Rage. _I heard that_. Airu looks around, trying to figure out how he heard that. Jaune begins walking away from his door. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go get some Rapier Wasps. Whoop dee doo." Jaune walks off, leaving Airu alone.

"That kid can be a pussy at times. Whatever." Airu walks back to her dorm and goes to sleep.

* * *

Team AART, RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL walk through Forever Fall. The forest is called that as it always looks to be fall with the vibrant colors or the trees. They were all assigned the task of collecting sap from the trees. The groups split up into their teams, but Jaune seems to go over to Cardin's team instead.

"Why isn't Jaune with his team?" asks Tidus as he and Airu begin collecting sap from the trees.

"Cardin has him on a leash apparently," she replies, "Go check it out if you want."

"Yeah, I'll be back."

"Don't take forever." Pyrrha walks over to Airu as Tidus runs off.

"Where is he going?" she asks the harpy.

"He is going to check on Jaune."

"That's good, I was getting worried. He hasn't been doing well lately."

"I know, I talked to him last night."

"What did he say?"

"I think it would be better if he told you himself."

* * *

Tidus walks up the hill where he spots Team CRDL plus Jaune hiding in a bush. Cardin looks to be saying something, "Now according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty Rapier Wasps love sweets. Now I am thinking we teach eagle slut some manners. And you're going to do it."

"Do what?" Jaune asks.

"Hit that bitch with the sap, or we speak with Goodwitch about your attendance here at Beacon." Jaune looks over to the leader of Team AART, and readies a throw. Looking around, he notices Tidus hiding in the bushes with his sword drawn. He looks back down before lowering his hand.

"No."

"What did you say?"

"He said no!" exclaims Tidus as he steps from the bushes. Jaune uses the distraction and throws the jar at Cardin' covering his breastplate with sap.

"Now you have done it. Let's get them boys." Team CRDL charges into battle with weapon's draw. Tidus blocks an attack from Sky's halberd and kicks Dove in the knee. Tidus then sends a blast of water at Russell while tripping Sky. He looks over to see Cardin with Jaune in his hand. "That wasn't very smart Jauney boy. I am going to make sure they send you back home to your mommy in teeny tiny pieces."

"I don't care what you do to me," weakly replies Jaune with fury, "But you are not messing with my team." Jaune smiles, which pisses Cardin off even more. He reels back his hand and punches Jaune in the face, but the attack is followed by a bright light. After it fades, Cardin is on the ground holding his hand in pain and Jaune looks like he hasn't even been hit yet.

"Let's see how much of a man you really are," Cardin grumbles as he stands up to face Jaune once more. A loud growl rips through the air as a giant paw comes crashing down, sending Team CRDL in a panic as they try to run away. An Ursa Major rips through the bushes and looms over Cardin, Jaune, and Tidus. The Ursa swings at Cardin, but is blocked by Jaune, now with his weapon drawn.

Meanwhile, the roar catches the attention of everyone else nearby. "What the hell was that?!" asks Airu as she turns to the running Sky.

"Ursa Major!" Sky yells as he runs away, "Run for your life!"

"Oh fuck!"

"Blake, Yang, go get Professor Goodwitch!" Ruby commands.

"You two go with them," adds Pyrrha as she turns to Lie Ren and Nora.

"Ren Glain, provide cover for them!" orders Airu, "Auron, you stay here with Weiss and make sure there isn't more waiting to ambush us."

"You can't tell me what to do!" complains Weiss.

"I don't give a shit right now, so just do what I fucking asked, alright." Airu, Ruby, and Pyrrha draw their weapons and rush toward the Grimm.

Jaune blocks another attack as Tidus goes in to strike, only to get tossed aside by a swipe of it's paw. He lands near the girls and tries to get up. He doesn't look hurt, and Airu's scroll says he is about seventy-five percent, but he falls back down. She looks confused as a message appears on her scroll from Tidus. _I am fine, this is for his own good._ Airu understands as she watches on.

The Ursa swipes again and Jaune dodges and nails the leg with a slash. He turns and blocks another attack that sends him sliding back. He regains his balance and charges again. This time the Ursa manages to send him flying into the air. Jaune pushes himself up and checks his Aura. It is in the red and Jaune becomes angry.

Once more he charges the beast with a leaping slash. The Ursa's paw comes to slash at the young man, but Airu notices Pyrrha move her hand and Jaune's shield blocks the attack. The block surprises the Ursa and it is not able to counter the decapitating slash from Jaune's sword. He lands and the Grimm's head rolls. As it fades, Jaune looks to himself with a proud look on his face.

Airu turns to Pyrrha, "So, you can manipulate magnetic fields?" she asks.

"Yeah," replies Pyrrha, "It's my Semblance, Polarity."

"Magnets are so cool," awes Ruby.

"We aren't going to tell him, right?" Airu asks with an evil grin.

"Correct," Pyrrha replies with the same grin. Tidus stands up and walks over to Jaune, who is now standing over Cardin.

"Don't you ever mess with my team - my friends - ever again," Jaune warns the bully.

"Yeah, especially if you ever want to have kids," adds Tidus, "I am sure the my team leader, Airu, will be happy to serve you a delicious meal if she catches you being a jerk again." The two walk away from a scared Cardin as they talk with each other.

* * *

Tidus walks back to the roof as Pyrrha and Jaune look to have made up. He smiles as Pyrrha pushes Jaune to the ground. He is about to say something when he hears her speak, "Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground." She reaches her hand out to which Jaune accepts. "Let's try that again."

"Don't hog all the fun," Tidus jokes as he approaches with his sword in hand. The three laugh as they begin to help Jaune train.

* * *

 **And we are done. Again, not a much different, but enough to still include it. Plus we have the running gag of the story. Whenever someone says 'Speak of the devil,' a message from Rage shall appear.**

 **Anyways, not much else to say, so I will see you later with the make up chapter, or Friday.**


	12. Chapter 11: Harpy and Heiress

**I am back already. As I said, I was going to upload a second chapter because the other one was so short. Yeah I know this is coming out literally twenty minutes after the first, but I don't care. I might continue to do this, I might not, but I will guarantee at least one chapter on Tuesday and Friday.**

 **Anyways, here is the next chapter, so sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Harpy and Heiress**

Weiss and Airu sit at their table in the cafeteria. The two had just got done with their weapon crafting class, and are discussing improvements to their weapons. "So Airu, what were you thinking about improving on your weapons?" the heiress asks.

"Hmm, I don't know," wonders the harpy, "Maybe adding a second chamber to my butterfly swords would allow me to use both ice and fire with each. Makes it so much easier than trying to look at the tassels in battle. What about you?"

"Oh, my Myrtenaster is already perfect. There is no need to improve it any further." Airu snickers. "What, you think you could make it better?"

"Me, no. But then again I only started to use Dust in my fighting style. I guess I am so use to using my rapier without it, that I don't think I can make improvements like you could. How long have you trained with that?"

"Probably longer than you."

"Doubt it. I had four years of training before I attended SWMA, and I was there for about seven years. I also had about three years of training using the butterfly swords during that time."

"Wait, you started when you were six?"

"Yeah, so?"

"What kind of parent would give their child a weapon at six years old?"

"Mother." Airu looks down as she remembers her past. "Can we please not talk about my family?"

"Why, did something happen?"

"Just please stop!"

"Alright, sorry. But getting back, why wouldn't my weapon be perfect?"

"Because nothing is perfect, there is always something that could be improved. Sometimes it's just the balance or sharpness, but a weapon is never perfect."

"I'll keep that in mind. Speaking of which, I should probably order some more Dust. My father forgot to send in this month's supply."

"At least you have a father."

"Huh?" Airu looks up in panic, realizing what she said.

"N-nothing. I have to go." Airu quickly leaves the table and goes back to her room. Ren Glain sits down as she leaves.

"What did you do?" Ren asks.

"Nothing, she just got up and left. She said something about me having a father, then she stormed off. Did something happen to her as a child?" Ren looks around, avoiding eye contact. "What happened?!" He scratches the back of his head.

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because it is not my place. Airu's past… is not a good one. If she wants you to know, she will tell you. Until then, I suggest avoiding it as much as possible. Especially her family."

"Maybe I should just do some digging on my own then." Weiss gets up, but her hand is grabbed by Ren.

"Don't."

"Why not?"

"First, it is none of your business. Second, you won't find anything on us in any of Vale's systems before we arrived at Beacon. And third, Airu would kill you before you got anything out of her. I suggest you stop now before someone gets hurt." Ren's eyes look as if they are full of fear and worry. There is nothing dramatic about what he said.

"Whatever, you can be so over-dramatic, you know." Weiss yanks her arm out of his hand and walks away.

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Weiss ignores him as she proceeds to her next class.

* * *

Airu and Weiss have combat class after lunch today. The two sit next to each other as Weiss tries to ask Airu some questions. The harpy just ignores them and watches the matches, but she can't help but feel irritated at the constant questioning. The match in front of them finishes and Glynda looks to the class. "Alright class, we have enough time for one more match," she announces, "Would anyone like to volunteer?"

Weiss ignores her as she turns to Airu. "What was your family like where you grew up?" she asks. Airu stands straight up in anger, raising her hand to volunteer.

"I challenge Weiss Schnee!" exclaims the harpy.

"Alright, Weiss vs Airu will begin shortly. Please come down and get ready." The two walk down the steps as Weiss asks another question.

"Why are you avoiding me, Airu?" Airu turns in anger as she gets up in the heiress's face.

"You don't get it do you, Ice Queen? I can't believe I have to spell it out for you. I don't want to talk about my past. I am two seconds away from kicking your ass before we even get onto the stage. I hope you are fucking ready." Airu turns back around as she stands on her side of the arena. Weiss proceeds to the other side and the two face each other.

"Ready?" Glynda asks. Both girls nod. "Begin!" Airu wastes no time unleashing a flurry of electrified jabs at the heiress. Weiss barely avoids them and switches her Dust chamber to yellow, providing her a boost in speed and power. The white haired girl lunges at the harpy, only to have her blade blocked upward and hit with a blast of ice.

She is sent flying, but manages to recover enough to block another electrified jab. Weiss leaps back and switches the chamber to white, stabbing the ground to cover it with ice. She looks up to see Airu flying above the ice with both butterfly swords drawn. Weiss avoids a double slash, but slides back on the ice farther than expected, nearly off the stage. She recovers and fires off a couple of ice shots at the harpy.

A wave of fire melts the ice and sends up misty air, blinding the heiress. Looking around, she manages to see a slash and blocks it. Airu flaps her wings and removes the mist. The two stand in the middle of the stage with Airu having a little more Aura left. The harpy grins at the heiress's endurance and charges once more. Weiss switches her chamber to red and fires off two balls of fire.

Airu sidesteps the attack and begins spinning as she approaches the heiress. Her butterfly swords begin to glow red and blue as the Dust begins to activate. Soon, the colors begin to swirl around her, creating a tornado of fire and ice. The heiress raises up a glyph to defend as the harpy crashes into it. Weiss and Airu struggle for control, before a crack appears on the glyph. Before she can be hit, Weiss forms another glyph below her and bounces up and over attack.

The two land with their backs to each other as they force themselves to their feet. They both turn around and ready their weapons once more. Airu charges in first, bring her left blade up. Weiss blocks with her rapier and stabs forward. The harpy parries the strike with her other blade, leaving the heiress exposed.

The butterfly swords begin to glow from the Dust with in and a look of shock crosses Weiss's face. Unleashing a four hit combo, Airu slashes upon the heiress and sends her into the wall, her Aura dropping to zero.

"With that, Airu Mirai is the winner," declares Glynda, "Now can someone take Miss Schnee to the nurses office?"

* * *

Weiss is in the nurse's office with an ice pack on her head. She begins to wake up and notices Airu sitting by her bedside. The heiress grumbles at the sight. "What do you want?" she asks as she tries to sit up.

"I want to say I am sorry," admits Airu, "I went overboard during the duel. I am just surprised you hung in as long as you did."

"Where are you going with this?"

"I am getting to that, calm down. It's just, you kept pushing me and pushing me with all those questions about my past. There is a lot I want to forget, but people like you make it hard. I overreacted, I know that, but I am only going to ask you this once. Please, for your safety, stay away from my past. If I fell right telling you, I will tell you. But please shut up about it, okay?"

"I guess, but can I ask one question?"

"I suppose I owe you that much."

"Do you have any siblings?" Airu thinks about it for a minute.

"Yes and no. Now you get some rest, I have some other matters to attend to." Airu stands up and walks out of the office as Weiss lies there in thought.

"What does she mean by that?"

* * *

 **Questions, questions, and more questions, and only I know the answers. So we got to see a little more of the connection that Airu and Weiss have with each other, as well as some backstory to Airu.**

 **Now, before someone in the reviews says something about Weiss trusting Aire despite the fact she is a 'faunus,' she never showed distrust towards faunus unless she felt any connection to the White Fang, and Airu has shown none. She may not like her foal mouth and her attitude, but she doesn't outright hate her because of her wings.**

 **Also, if anyone wants to do a cover picture of the story, let me know when you have something done. I would like something with all four members of Team AART positioned in the corners, heads pointing towards the middle with 'AART' written there and by the top have 'Remnant of a Dream.' This is just an idea, so if you have a better one, draw it up and show me, I would really like that.**

 **Anyways, we will be getting back to the canon plot now as we approach the end of Volume 1 of RWBY. And just FYI, I am on chapter 43 of this in terms of writing, and I still haven't killed anyone yet. That is t... a lot better than I thought I would do.**

 **So please, review, follow, favorite, and stay tuned for the next chapter, coming Friday.**


	13. Chapter 12: Fracture

**So sorry that this out so late, but I was busy all day with school. I just edited this a little bit ago, so here it is. This chapter will start bringing in the main canon plot once again. Things are about to get interesting.**

 **Also, thanks to Minaly22 for the favorite and follow of this story, that means so much to me.**

 **Anyways, let's get this show on the road, so sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Fracture**

Team RWBY plus Airu are walking around downtown Vale on a Friday afternoon, and Weiss looks extremely happy. The rest of AART would of come, but Tidus is helping with Jaune's training, Ren Glain is hanging out with Lie Ren and Nora, and Auron is on a date with Coco. That left Airu the only one without an excuse.

Airu is lost in thought as she thinks back to what happened between the heiress and her a few weeks back. Although she said she was sorry, she still felt bad. The group walks around for a little more before it is Ruby's voice that snaps Airu out of her thoughts. "Whoa," she says as they notice a broken window. Surrounding it is some yellow police tape and two detectives. Ruby leads the group over to the crime scene. "What happened here?"

"Robbery," replies the first detective, "Second Dust shop to be hit this week."

"That's terrible," says Yang.

"They left all the money," adds the second detective.

"Who the hell robs a place and leaves the money?" asks Airu, "That's like taking candy from a baby, and leaving the candy as you walk off with the baby."

"I think that is called 'kidnapping,'" corrects Blake.

"It doesn't make sense, who needs that much Dust?" asks the first detective.

"I don't know, maybe the White Fang," suggests the second.

"You think they have an army?'

"I am thinking we don't get paid enough for this." The group walks away as Weiss crosses her arms.

"What an awful bunch of degenerates," states the heiress.

"What's your problem?" asks Blake.

"I don't care for the criminally insane."

"They are hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They are just a collection of misguided faunus."

"Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale."

"She has a point," Airu interjects, "That Torch-dick, or whatever his name was, that Tidus and Auron encountered is still at large. It was probably him."

"I was there too," adds Ruby.

"That still doesn't change the fact the White Fang are a bunch of scum," replies Weiss, "Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal." Airu's eye begins to twitch as she clenches her fists. "They are barbaric, disgusting, and savage creatures that should-" Before she could finish, her jaw is met with Airu's first. The heiress stumbles back and falls over as the harpy stands over her.

"We should what?!" roars Airu, "Die, be locked up, treated like slaves because you think you are so much better than us!"

"That is-" Airu cuts her off again as she lifts the heiress up by her collar.

"I suggest you shut the fuck up Snow White! Keep running your mouth and you'll be singing a song that the forest animals won't want to hear! You are a self-centered, close-minded, bitch!" Airu punches Weiss in the face once more before she drops the girl. She turns and runs away as she leaps into the air, taking flight.

"What was that for?"

"You don't get it do you?" Blake asks furiously, "You may have been directing your comments to the White Fang, but you said it like it was all Faunus. You really need to watch what you say." Blake walks away with Yang and Ruby in tow, leaving Weiss laying on the ground, alone.

* * *

Ren Glain lies in bed as he reads over some notes from his history class on his eyepiece. A knock on the door catches his attention. "It's open," he says. Weiss walks into the room. "Oh, Weiss, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, Blake just ran off," she replies.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. We kept going back and forth about the White Fang, and then she said something about being tired of being pushed around."

"So, she said something about being in the White Fang, and you were insulting the organization."

"How did you know?"

"The walls don't block much sound when people are shouting. And from what I can tell, you pissed Airu off too."

"Yeah, wait how-"

"You have two large bruises on your face." Weiss looks in a small mirror, seeing the large spots of black and blue. Useing her Aura, she heals her face.

"Where is she anyway?"

"No clue, I haven't seen her since you guys left this morning." Ren sits up on his bed.

"At least you aren't over-dramatic right now."

"This is a serious situation, so I will be as well."

"Thanks."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Wait. I will wait for them return."

"Alright. That seems smart. I will let you know if Airu contacts me."

"Okay, thanks."

"Not a problem." Weiss walks out the door and closes it behind her. Ren puts his hand to his ear. "You heard that right, Airu."

" _Yeah_ ," she replies through his earpiece.

"What are you going to do?"

" _I don't know. I need some time to think. You won't see me for a few days."_

"Okay. Take care of yourself."

" _I will, thanks._ "

"Yeah, goodbye." The call ends and Ren Glain lays back down in his bed.

* * *

Tidus blocks an attack from Jaune as he steps to the side. The dream slashes upward to counter, but the other blonde blocks the attack with his shield. Not waiting, Tidus hops forward and brings his blade down while some water leaves the blade. The attack hits the shield as the two struggle for power. Jaune attempts to overpower his opponent, but slips on some water that leaves him open for an attack. The knight falls back and finds the watery blade pressed against his neck.

"Looks like I win again," proclaims Tidus, "Nice job. You are getting better." He extends his hand out to the knight, who accepts it to stand up.

"He is right," agrees Pyrrha, "Your progress is great."

"Thanks, but I am nowhere near your levels," admits Jaune.

"Then train and you will get there," says Auron. The former guardian stands in his red haori by the roof entrance.

"Auron, when did you get here?" Tidus asks, "I thought you were on a date with Coco."

"I was, we got back about an hour ago. I came to see how you all were doing, and test Jaune for myself."

"I think we are good for tonight," says Jaune, trying to get out of the new opponent.

"I think a new opponent would do you good," Pyrrha responds.

"Yeah, 'Old Man' here should be a great test," adds Tidus.

"I thought you two were my friends. Alright, fine. You ready Auron?" Jaune readies his weapons.

"I should be asking you that," taunts Auron as he rests his blade on his shoulders. He takes his left arm out of the sleeve and lets it hang loose. Pyrrha stands between them.

"Ready?" she asks. Both nod their heads. "Begin!" Auron charges forward and slashes with one-handed swings that Jaune blocks with his shield. The young blonde stabs forward with his blade, but Auron side steps it and brings his blade down with an overhead swing. Jaune parries the attack and bashes Auron with his shield. The warrior monk steps back as his blade glows red.

"Your attacks shall do nothing!" he chants. Gripping the weapon with both hands, he swings down upon the knight. "Power Break!" Despite blocking the attack with his shield, the red glow covers his body as his arms feel weaker.

"What is happening?" asks Jaune.

"Did you forget my Semblance? Power Break lowers my opponent's strength. And now," Auron begins to add a yellow glow to his blade as he charges up some Aura, "You pain shall be two-fold!" Again with a two handed swing, Auron attacks Jaune, who blocks with his shield. "Armor Break!" The yellow glow consumes his body again as his shield flies from his hand. "What will you do with no defense or attack?"

Jaune looks around with his sword in his hand while his arm glows red. He looks to Auron as he begins to charge again. The young blonde rolls to the side to avoid a one-handed slash and raises his sword to block the other, but the force and lack of defense tosses him aside. He struggles to get back up, but Auron just lowers his blade. "That was acceptable," he states, "You can hold your own, which means you need more training. Keep up the good work." Auron walks to the door, arm now in its sling position. "Tidus, come with me. I must talk with you."

"Yeah, sure," replies the dream, "I think that is enough for the night, see you guys later." Tidus catches up with Auron as the two re-enter the building. "What's up."

"Ren Glain has informed me that Airu will be gone for the next few days, and not to expect to see her until then."

"Why, did something happen?"

"From what I know, Weiss couldn't hold her tongue."

"Yeah, that does sound bad. But what did she even say?"

"That I do not know."

"Alright, thanks for the head's up. Are we just going to wait around for her then?"

"Her, and Blake."

"Wait, she is gone too? What happened to her?"

"Same thing, only Blake didn't punch Weiss."

"That makes sense." The two arrive at their dorm room and enter. Ren was already asleep so the two change into their sleepwear. "Goodnight, Auron."

"Goodnight, Tidus." The two turn over and quickly fall asleep.

* * *

Airu sits perched on top of a building, looking out to the city of Vale. "Why did you do that?" she asks herself, "You couldn't of just called her a spoiled bitch, you had to punch her. I mean, she did say all those nasty things, but she didn't mean to insult you. She is not Mother, she will never be Mother, so why do I always see Mother when I look at her. We were just starting to not hate each other, too. She will never understand your pain, she has been handed too much for that. Maybe if she knew, she would understand. No, she can't know, she would let everyone else know and blow our cover. What should I do?"

"The past has a way of catching up to us, no matter how much we try to forget it," responds a familiar voice. Airu turns around to see the familiar black clothing of the Lord of Hell himself. "Been awhile, hasn't it."

"Rage, what are you doing here?'

"I came to enjoy the view, it really makes you wonder about yourself." Rage turns to the troubled harpy. "What happened?"

"You should know, you can practically see the future."

"No, I can see when timelines become distorted, and I go fix them."

"Really, then how can you always here when one of us says, 'speak of the devil?'"

"Oh, I put microphones on your necks when you guys came here. I know what was said, but I wanted to hear it from your perspective."

"You're a dick, you know?"

"Yes." Airu just rolls her eyes.

"Well, Weiss practically insulted the entire Faunus population earlier. While I wouldn't usually take offense, the way she seemed to refer to me as one made it seem like she was talking about me as well. Then, the way she called them 'barbaric, disgusting, and savage,' it reminded me too much of Mother. I couldn't take it anymore, and I snapped. I punched her in her face, called her 'Snow White,' and punched her again. Now, I feel horrible."

"Yeah there is some wounds time never heals. You just have to find the right medicine, and the best way to find it is to talk to people. Find someone whose shoulder you can cry into."

"What, are you offering?"

"No, I am just here to observe. I feel something bad is going to happen, something that I believe is why Auron and Tidus are here. They should be in the Farplane, but they took the wrong plane and ended up far from it."

"Not funny."

"Whatever. If I find anything, I will let you guys know. Until then, remember I am always watching."

"Goodbye, Rage." No response. He is already gone. "What should I do?"

* * *

 **Well, damn. You guys got a short fight, Weiss gets knocked down a peg, and another appearance from the Lord of Hell, RagingKey.**

 **There really isn't much else to say. I am tired and it is late. So, have a good night and I will see you Tuesday.**


	14. Chapter 13: Forgiveness

**It's Tuesday, which means an update. You guys have shown so much support for this, so thank you. I know I already responded to this review, but I figured I would say it here too.**

 _ **alexwu704: Airu needs to control her emotion or otherwise,** **a. her leadership will be questioned upon herself,** **b. risked her teammates to know the truth,** **herself in deep trouble**_

 **I do agree with your statement and yes, Airu does have a bit of a temper, especially around certain subjects, and I will see how I can discuss it more when I go through my drafts of the chapters. As for questioning leadership, I will see what I can do in terms of Tidus and Auron questioning Airu, but that ship as sailed for Ren, which leads into the second possibility. Ren knows what Airu has been through, and knows how she feels about it. As for Auron and Tidus, I will go through and see how I can work that at a later point. But Team RWBY will be in for the biggest shock if they find out. I don't know if it will get her in any big trouble other than emotional.**

 **Now, I would also like to thank Firestar Prime and LordAznKhoa for the follows and favorites on this story.**

 **Back to the present, this chapter is going to be a little slower and will be a bit more of backstory. I feel this is important as it never got shown in the Isle of Warriors. Either way, it adds a bit more to Airu's character. So sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Forgiveness**

Ruby, Yang and Weiss are walking down the streets of Vale, calling out Blake's name, or at least the sisters are. Weiss just walks behind the two remaining silent. "Weiss, you're not helping," complains Ruby.

"Oh! You know who might be able to help?" questions Weiss with heavy sarcasm, "The police."

"That is a bad idea," replies Airu, who lands behind the girls. She turns to Yang and Ruby, "I hope you don't mind, but I am going to borrow this." She refers to Weiss.

"I guess, I-" Before for Ruby and finish, Airu hooks Weiss's arms and flies off. Weiss tries to struggle, but to no avail.

"Where are you taking me?" she complains to the harpy, "Let me go!"

"Do you want to die?!" Airu snaps. No response. "That's what I thought, now shut up until we get there." Airu flies through the air before dropping Weiss onto the building where Airu has been staying for the past couple of days. The heiress manages to tuck and roll to avoid snapping her legs, while Airu softly land in front of her.

"What do you want now?" Airu looks up and Weiss can finally look at her face for the first time all day. There are bags under her eyes and her face looks red, like she has been crying for days. She motions to the wall behind them.

"Sit."

"You better explain wh-"

"You are in no place to be making demands. Now sit!" Weiss does as she is told and sits down on the floor by the wall. Airu takes a seat next her. "I have been thinking for a long time, and I am sorry. I shouldn't of hit you like I did, that was stupid of me. You just, remind me too much of someone, and it's not right for me to compare you to her. It is not entirely your fault, so I am sorry."

"Airu…"

"I am going to tell you something, but please keep this between us. The only other one who knows this is Ren Glain."

"Yeah, sure."

"Where should I start? First of all, Ren and I are not from around here."

"Yeah, you guys said something about an island to the south."

"That is not entirely true. See, we are not from Remnant at all. We are from another timeline, one where this place doesn't exist, where there is no Grimm, but it is far from peaceful. There is only our island that we know of, and it is riddled with monsters, and we are trained to defend it, or at least we were.'

"What happened?"

"I suppose I should first tell you the legend of the island, the Isle of Warriors. See, seven hundred years or so ago, a demon appeared. It was massive as it trampled buildings, burned cities, and destroyed everything in its path. Armed with a massive black blade and fire that burned for eternity, there was nothing the people could do to stop it. But its presence caused the fabric of time to be ripped. Warriors from legends that possessed unspeakable powers pulled from the tears to fight the demon, and many died.

"It was a long struggle, but they managed to subdue the beast, but they never destroyed it. There was rumored to be a note left behind telling of its return, in eight hundred years. Our people ignored it and helped create a machine to send the warriors back home. The warriors returned home, and the machine was turned off, left in the ruins of a city.

"Oh my. So what about you?" Weiss asks.

"I was getting to that. You see, me and my sister were young, she was three and I was six, when we were left on a doorstep in the rain with no memory of our parents. But, my sister and I are not related by blood, more of we were adopted together. Lutt, my sister, is half-cat, half-human. This made her adorable at a young age as she looked like a little kitten.

"That is when we met Mother. She only wanted to bring in Lutt and leave me to die. It was only because of Lutt that I was even accepted, because she refused to be taken in without me. Mother agreed, resentfully. Lutt was treated like a princess, she was given everything to make her happy, while I was treated like a servant. I would cook, clean, everything. If I was just a little bit off, I would be scalded."

"That sounds horrible," gasps Weiss.

"It wasn't until one day, just a few months after being brought in, that Mother showed her only act of kindness. I was cleaning when I noticed one door was slightly ajar. I was told never to go in, even to clean, but I did it anyway. In there was an entire room full of weapons, mostly swords. I stood there in awe as I admired the blades, maybe a little too long. Mother found me in there, scalded me for it, then sighed. She agreed to train me in wielding the rapier, so that one day I would be able to protect my sister with my life. I had my own reasons, but I went along with her idea.

"Through the training, I became quite skilled with the blade, that I was accepted into SWMA at the age of ten. My sister entered a couple of years later, mostly to learn magic. She was great at healing and ice magic, but if you saw her at times, you would wonder why she is a healer. She can get a little bloodthirsty, and likes to eat things raw, like birds or small animals. Really anything with meat, she would eat, even people. She wouldn't go around killing people, but if there was the option, she would take it. She never ate cats though."

"Okay, can we get back on track, this is grossing me out," gags Weiss.

"Yeah, sorry, it grosses me out too. Anyways, it was about six or seven years later. Me, Ren, Lutt, and the rest of our class were getting ready for school. We were the top students and no one could match us. We had a class all to our own, the nine of us. There was me, Ren, my sister Lutt, Ren's twin Mangus, the necromancer Morthos, the barbarian Jaiir, the bard slash prostitute Lomidia, the half dragon-half human Drago, and our assassin Chen Fei. Oh the stories I could tell you about them.

"Anyways, it was a Monday when we found out our teacher had been murdered the night before. Ren, of course, delivered the news in his over-dramatic fashion. So we went to class that day and we found we had a new teacher, Professor Lucy. He was completely unknown, showing up just days before. He was strong, and so he was given to our class. He focused most of his time on the legend I told you, but also sparring and magic. He actually helped me learn wind magic when he noticed my wings. I had always hid them because of Mother, but that would soon change."

"Why would she do that?" Weiss asks.

"She hated them, and would even scold me for flying. I guess it is similar to the whole faunus situation. But getting back on topic, on his third day, he announced he would be taking us to visit some ruins and that we would be gone for three days. We were looking for the machine that sent the warriors back. I found it, and that's when things turned sour. Ren managed to get the machine running, before turning it back off, but that was all Lucy needed. It was then that he put the idea in our heads, that we should kill the demon.

"We made it back on the third day as planned, and me and Lutt went back home, but it was when we got there, that everyone's lives changed. Mother was furious that we went on the trip and she had no idea where we were, or if we were being honest, where my sister was. She sent her to her room and began yelling at me. Mother blamed me for everything, saying it was all my fault. She then began to call me names, saying that harpies are disgusting, bird-brain, barbarians that deserved to die. I couldn't take it anymore, and I shouted back, saying everything on my mind. I even called her a bitch.

"That was all she needed to hear. She slapped me across the face, and I returned the favor with an uppercut. Then she laughed. She said this is what she wanted, an excuse to kill me. I wasn't going to let that happen. We fought throughout the house, hitting each other with whatever we could find and throwing each other through windows. We ended up in the armory. It got deadly there.

"We started off dueling with rapiers, but she managed to knock me down." Airu moves her left wing to show Weiss the scar where no feathers can grow. "She stabbed me with a dagger and dug it into my wing, saying, 'I told you if I ever caught you using these again, I was going to cut them off.' She tried, but I managed to knock her off with my wing magic. I yanked the dagger out and threw it at her. It landed in her knee and I drove it deeper with my fist, but it never came out the back.

"Eventually I tackled her through the wall and we climbed the stairs during the fight, and ended up in my room. She tore the dagger out of her knee and tried to fight with it despite the damage to her leg. I managed to stop the first attack by hitting her with a wooden chair, and dodged the second. I grabbed the broken leg of the chair and stabbed her with it when she tried for a third. She backed up into the window and I kicked her through it. Mother was dead by my hands, or my feet to be exact."

Weiss was covering her mouth in shock, "You killed your own mother? I can't believe it."

"It's not that I wanted to." Airu puts her hands in her face as she begins to cry as she relives the painful memories. "The death doesn't stop there. The next morning, Lucy came to my door, asking if I wanted to slay the demon from the legend. All it would take was the lives of everyone on the island, except me and my class. I was stupid and still unstable from the night before, plus he practically controlled the rest of my friends' minds, and I said yes. It took three years, but we killed over ten thousand people. It was genocide.

"Lucy had left by then, but he sent two allies who said that to kill the demon, we had to break the seal that binds him. To do that, we had to kill those who bound the demon, and they were scattered throughout time and space. We managed to reverse the machine and bring the warriors back, but we failed to kill them. They were too strong, and they were led by the same demon. It turns out that it was all a lie. The demon was the Lord of Hell himself, but when he was younger. RagingKey was nothing like his description, but he admitted that it was him who did it, and apologized.

"I was going to say more, but Lucy had brainwashed a group of four who were even stronger than as back-up, but they were defeated as well. The man who I once tried to kill, saved my life when the leader tried to kill me. I passed out after that, but when I woke, I was at the camp with everyone else, friend and foe alike. It was then that Rage helped us rebuild the island as a arena of sorts, where the warriors could challenge one another to train. It was then I promised to try and forgive myself for what I have done. I guessed I mixed up forgive and forget.

"So that is my story. Thank you for listening." Airu lifts her head from her hands as tears cover her face once more.

"I don't know what to say. I am not sure what to think right now."

"Can you just stay here a while?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Thank you." Airu rests her head on the heiress's shoulder as she cries some more. The pain from the past is too much for the harpy to deal with alone. Weiss sits there with her, acting as a shoulder to cry on. "I am sorry I ever compared you to Mother. You are not as evil or as much of a bitch as she is. You still are a bitch, but not one anywhere close to her."

"Thanks… I guess."

"Hehehe." Airu laughs weakly as she lifts her head a little bit more. "I am truly sorry for the other day. Please forgive me."

"Done!"

"That was… fast. Thanks? Now I just have to find a way to forgive myself." Silence follows as the two remain together on the roof. "You can go now if you want."

"I think I will stay."

"Why?"

"It's nice out, the sky is beautiful, and you have me stranded on top of a twenty story building."

"I guess you're right. Alright, let's enjoy the peacefulness together." The two smile as they sit in silence watching the clouds roll by. Airu's scroll goes off with a message from Rage. _Go to the docks, alone. I will send the others later. Something is going to happen, and it will not be good._ Airu reads through the message before closing it. She turns to Weiss. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I suppose. Yang and Ruby are probably worried that both me and Blake are gone."

"Then hold on tight." Airu hooks Weiss's arms like before and flies her down to the ground below. Setting her down peacefully this time, she flies off away from the heiress.

"Wait, where are you going?" she calls, but Airu is too far away to hear.

* * *

The sun is setting on the horizon as the harpy soars to the docks. She lands just outside the harbor on a nearby roof. It just so happens, Blake is also on the roof. Noticing the harpy, she quickly gets up and tries to leave, but Airu stops her. "What are you doing here?" asks Blake.

"I got…" Airu begins. Not wanting to expose her secret to Blake as well, she says, "Woman's intuition. Now what are you doing here? And why do you need binoculars?" A door to the roof opens up as a young man, new to Airu, stands in shock. He has scraggly blonde hair, tan skin, and only a vest to cover his well built body. He also has a pair of blue jeans, long red gloves, and a monkey tail.

"Did I miss something?" he asks.

"Uhh, yeah. Airu Mirai, leader of Team AART. And you are."

"Sun Wukong. I am guessing you are one of Blake's friends."

"Yeah, looks like she has finally found someone like her who she can trust."

"You knew?" Blake questions.

"Yeah, everyone in my team knew. Ren analyzed your body and noticed heat coming from your bow. We figured you were a cat or a dog faunus, but we noticed no one else knew. No one said anything because you wanted to hide it."

"Thanks… I guess. Wait! When did he analyze me?"

"I don't know. He may of been collecting data at some point when you were around. Plus you seemed a little pissed when Cardin was talking about faunus training."

"Umm, I hate to interrupt, but what about the docks?" Sun's question turns the groups attention back to the docks, where the White Fang were stealing some containers of Dust.

"Wait, is that the Torch-Dick guy? And who is that blue-haired guy next to him?" Blake draws her blade as Airu asks her questions. Without thinking, she rushes toward the criminals.

* * *

 **Another chapter in the books, and yes, I know it was slow, but it was important. This explains a lot about who Airu was and is trying to be. As she stated, she didn't see Weiss for Weiss, but instead she saw Mother. Mother was abusive, mostly emotionally but a little physical, as seen by the scars she has. These things take time to heal, and having the innocent blood of thousands on your hands doesn't help much. Subject concerning her past or about her harpy features in a negative context is not something that Airu is willing to discuss and will actually turn to anger. This is why she explains everything to Weiss, so that she could understand her pain, and so she can try and move on. Airu doesn't hate Weiss, she hates who she reminds her of.**

 **I hope this gives a little more insight to her character as a whole, and will help build her character in the future.**

 **Now, the hint, who is the blue-haired man? Well, if you have any sense of either RWBY or FFX, then you could deduce the hint quite easily. Until next time my friends. And never fear, I accept all criticism, so send me some.**


	15. Chapter 14: The Past Returns

**I'm back. Last time I left you all with a cliff hanger, but now we have answers. Questions will follow, but that is story. This is also the last chapter of the Volume one part of the story, so that may give you an idea of where it is.**

 **Plus, I just hit 1500 views on this story, so yay for progress.**

 **There really isn't much else to say, so just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: The Past Returns**

Auron, Tidus, and Ren Glain are sneaking around the docks. "Are you sure Airu wants us to come here?" Tidus asks.

"That is what she said when she sent the message," lies Ren. The truth is that the message was from Rage, but they couldn't know about him yet. "It must have something to do Blake if we needed to come prepared for combat." The group turns a corner and notices large shipping containers being stolen by members of the White Fang. Ren whispers orders to the team, "Get back!" They hide behind a wall.

"Is that the guy we stopped before we got into Vale?" Tidus asks Auron.

"Yes it is," Auron looks to the man beside him. Dressed like a king as his long blue hair falls back, stands the one man the two never wanted to see again. "Seymour!" Without thinking, Auron charges from the hiding spot at the man who tried to kill all of Spira. Blake, who is also charging, gets to Torchwick with a blade pressed against his throat. Auron follows suite with Seymour.

"Oh, for fucks sake, come on!" Torchwick curses as Blake holds him still.

"Nobody move!" she commands. Members of the White Fang ready their weapons.

"There is no need to act so rash, little girl," taunts Seymour.

"Keep talking and you won't act at all," threatens Auron. Blake reaches up and removes her bow, revealing cat ears.

"Brothers of the White Fang!" she addresses the criminals, "Why are you aiding this scum?" Torchwick just laughs.

"Oh, kid, I guess you didn't the memo."

"What are you talking about?"

"You see, Mr. Guado here, myself, and the White Fang have similar interests. Right now, we are in the middle of a little joint business deal. But here's the problem, you two are in the way."

"What is this little operation?"

"My dear," begins Seymour, "I am afraid that this is much bigger than a little operation. But I am sorry to say you won't be around to see it." Two airships rise up from behind them and Seymour snaps his fingers.

"Run!" Auron shouts. The two quickly get out of the way as a massive explosion appears where they were standing. The massive blast from the Firaga sends up a cloud of smoke. Airu, Sun, Tidus, and Ren Glain all appear behind the two.

"What was that, Auron?" asks Tidus, "Seymour is here, I know. That doesn't mean you charge him at first sight."

"You know that man?" Blake questions.

"We will explain another time," snaps Auron, "We need to stop them now." The dust clears and Roman is standing with Seymour as they look upon the fighters.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," stammers Roman, "I know you all wanted to see me, but you guys didn't need to go this far. A simple barbecue would of been perfect."

"Can it Torch-Dick!" exclaims Airu.

"It's Torchwick, eagle bitch. Seriously, who came up with you fre-" Before he could finish, Roman is kicked in the face by Airu. Not hesitating, she quickly stabs the white-suit criminal with her rapier… in his torch. Extinguishing it's flame, she turns the electricity on and sends currents through his body as he screams in pain. His suit pants now stained red, he lies down, twitching every few seconds. Seeing their 'leader' fall in such a gruesome manner, the White Fang members quickly run to avoid the wrath of Airu.

"Well, that was rather unnecessary," comments Seymour as he picks up his partner, "I really hate to say goodbye without meeting you all more personally, but I am afraid I must be going. Allow me to leave you with a small gift, I think you will remember it quite well, Auron." The former maester waves his hand around as pyreflies swirl around and form a large, flying creature similar to a Nevermore. The fiend, a Garuda, flaps it's wings hard as it sends gusts of winds around the six.

"Oh come on!" complains Sun, "First crazy criminals, then Airu stabs one in the balls, and now this thing. I wasn't trained for this."

"That fiend won't care," states Auron, "We need to kill it, now. Just think of it like a Nevermore." They split up into groups of two, Sun and Blake, Airu and Auron, and Tidus and Ren. "Airu, get me up to it. I need to weaken its defenses first."

"You got it," agrees the leader. She puts her hand to her ear. "Ren, Tidus, can you hear me?" Ren and Tidus hear the message and nod to each other.

"Loud and clear Airu," he answers, "Don't worry about the hand thing, the earpiece works without it."

"I had to put it in, asshole."

"Can we please get this over with?" asks an annoyed Auron.

"Yeah, sorry. Ren, Tidus, get Sphere Shot ready. Auron and I are going to use Broken Flight."

"Roger!"

"Blake, Sun. Distract it for us."

"Got it!" responds Blake.

"Uhh, I think I should go," lies Sun. he tries to run, but Blake grabs his tail and drags him back to the fight. "Alright fine." Blake and Sun charge the beast while Airu grabs Auron around the waist. Tidus quickly climbs the nearest building while Ren charges a bomb. The Garuda screeches at the group and charges at Blake and Sun. Firing shots from her Gambol Shroud and his Gunchucks, the two deal minimal damage to it while dodging attacks. After avoids a couple of attacks, Blake mistimes a jump and gets hit, or at least her shadow clone did.

The two faunus land near the flying Airu and Auron. Auron's sword glows yellow as she flies him closer to the fiend. "Your pain shall be two-fold!" he chants.

"Now!" Airu yells through the earpiece. Ren throws the ball high into the air to Tidus, who is waiting in a ball of water. He waits for it to fall back down and kicks it mid backflip. The ball soars alongside Airu and Auron.

"Armor Break!" He shouts as his entire body glows. The two and ball close in on the fiend, but it pulls back its wings and unleashes a powerful sonic boom. The force manages to knock Airu back down, causes Blake and Sun to fall over, and the bomb to fly back to Tidus.

"Well Old Man," Tidus whispers to himself, "Time to prove I can do it." As the ball comes back, Tidus kicks the bomb back towards the fiend, this time hitting it. The bomb remains intact as it comes flying back. The dream reels back and punches the bomb, sending it back at the Garuda. After making contact, it flies up and back to Tidus. Using water to push himself higher, Tidus begins to spin. Faster and faster he goes until he reaches the bomb. He stops spinning and kicks the bomb while sideways. It flies at speeds that rivals Airu as it closes into the fiend.

Crashing into it's neck, it snaps as the bomb explodes. Smoke rises from the explosion and covers the fiend. The smoke clears, leaving nothing but the pyreflies it once was made of. The group rejoins each back on the docks. Blake is the first to speak, "What in the world was that?!" Or shout.

"A fiend," Auron replies, "That was a Garuda, one of the more troublesome ones to kill. It is quite similar to Nevermore."

"Okay, what is it doing here?"

"If you paid attention, you would have noticed Seymour, the one who still has his manhood, summoned it."

"You have some serious explaining to do when we get back."

"If that is what you wish."

"Blake, Airu!" a voice calls from behind. Everyone turns to see Ruby running towards them.

"Ruby!" Blake returns. An airship flies up behind the six, now seven, as Seymour and Roman stand at the door way. Roman actually seems to need his cane now.

"You know guys," says Roman, "Aside from getting a back alley vasectomy, today was a suppose to be a good day. I got my Dust, I met some new friends, oh, and you guys were suppose to die. But no, you had to ruin it. And now I can't have kids, thank you very much!"

"I can finish the job if you want," offers Airu, "That way you do have to always take the Guado's dick up the ass."

"You think you are so funny, don't you? Maybe next time I should bring some scissors to clip your angle wings. I don't think you will be laughing for very loonononoonog!" An electric current runs through his body as Airu zaps him with another lightning bolt. "Driver, get us out of here! Now!" The airship flies off before anyone else could do anything.

"Seymour!" screams Auron, "I promise you will pay when I find you!" Taking a few deep breaths, the group lets out one large sigh. Yang and Weiss run up next to the group.

"What happened here?"

"It's a long story, but we should get home first," answers Tidus, "The police are showing up, and I don't want to deal with them again."

* * *

After making it back to Beacon and explaining what happened that night, the rest of Team RWBY was caught up to speed. Blake also told them about who she really was. Now, they turn their attention to Tidus and Auron. "So, start talking," Blake orders.

"Alright, but this is going to be a while," Auron admits, "I should start. Tidus and I are not from Remnant." Everyone but Airu and Ren drop their jaws. "We are from a world called Spira. It is a world of magic, wonder, and a spiral of death." Auron explains the history of the Spira, fiends, summoners, and their pilgramage.

"Wow," awes Ruby, "That sounds so cool."

"So, you guys would have more power and abilities there?" asks Yang.

"Yes, but when we came here, most of it was sealed in order to follow the rules of this world," admits Tidus, "Or at least that is what we think. There is something else you should know. To our world, we both are dead."

"You died?!" exclaims Weiss, "What are you, zombies?"

"No, but that is a status aliment people can get. One swig of a Holy Water will clear that up. You see, when a person dies in Spira, their souls become pyreflies, like what came from the fiend when we killed it. If they remain unsent, they become fiends. However, sometimes the person's will is strong enough or they have enough power, they can remain in their current body. Auron died ten years ago, but made a promise to my dad to protect me with his life. Heck, this guy usually looks a lot older, he was already starting to get grey hairs.

"But back to the matter at hand, I was not like everyone else in Spira. Remeber how he talked about Zanarkand being the last stop before defeating Sin." Team RWBY nods their head. "Well, the Fayth, the souls of the Aeons, were sleeping. They were dreaming of what Zanarkand use to be, before Sin. I was part of that dream. Thanks to Auron here riding Sin, he managed to send me to Spira, the real one. But, when we defeated Yu Yevon, they stopped dreaming, and so I became nothing more than pyreflies as well. We both thought we were heading to the Farplane, but ended up here.

"Also, my old man, my dad, he was the last Sin." Their jaws dropped again.

"On my first pilgramage, Braska, Yuna's father, choose Jecht, his father, as his sacrifice to obtain the final Aeon. When I realized what that truely entailed, the guardian becoming Sin, I attacked Yunalesca and died. You know the rest from there."

"That, is horrible," comments Blake, "So what does this Seymour guy want then?"

"My guess, he wants this world to die to end its suffering. I just don't know how, but this is our problem, you guys should continue with your schooling."

"And you will too!" commands Weiss.

"That's fine."

"Oh no you… Wait. 'That's fine.' You are not going to argue."

"There is nothing we can do at this time anyways, and its not like we have anything else to do."

"Yeah, I just didn't think it would be that easy."

"Really?" questions Airu, "Ice Queen didn't expect something to be easy. Did a Nevermore fuck a Boarbatusk, because I think I saw a pig fly." Everyone laughs, except Ruby.

"Uhh, I don't understand," she admits, confused.

"Well you see, when-" before the harpy can finish, she is tackled by practically every member of RWBY, except for the leader.

"It is something you will learn later," assured Ren Glain, "Well, I think we have had an eventful night. It is best for us all to get some sleep tonight."

"Not so fast!" commands Auron.

"What is it?" Airu asks.

"There is something I want to know, and based on your reaction to our story, I don't think it is something we can leave unsaid. How do you know about us?"

"You want the truth?"

"Nothing less."

"Fine, Ren and I aren't from Remanat either." Another round of jaw drops, eith the exception of Weiss. "We grew up on an island in a different world. We serched some ruins and found a machine that allowed us to view other dimesions. Of course, before that we used it to bring in warriors with a seal to kill a demon that didn't exist. You and Tidus were there during the fighting, and were going to be killed if we won."

"You told us your story then, and occasionally particiapted in some fights," adds Ren, "We set up a fighting arena in the island for anyone to fight each other in pure fun. Despite the fact we tried to kill you, we were forgiven due to some special circumstances like that. The reason we knew you is because of that, but you don't know us because it was a different version of you, ones who didn't end up with their asses in Remnant."

"I see," says Auron, "And why didn't you tell us earlier Airu? I thought you wanted to lead us with trust and honesty. Right now I am starting to feel like you can't trust us. I understand you needing your space, but if something like Weiss triggered this, then you should of come to us."

"Because… I didn't feel it was right to inform you of events you weren't apart of. They weren't you, and things were different. To be honest, I wanted to forget, but I couldn't. There is a lot I wish to hide, it keeps me from going back to the monster I was."

"You are not a monster, Airu," argues Blake, "Just bec-"

"Where I come from, there is no faunus." Airu snaps in anger. "I am not a mosnter because I tried to kill a few people, or because of these wings. I am a monster for leading my friends into killing everyone we knew. There is more blood on my hands that the White Fang will ever see. I have the blood of ten thousand people on my hands. Do you know what it is like?"

"I...I-"

"No you don't know." Airu takes a few deep breaths to calm herself. Feeling a bit more relaxed, she continues. "That is why I can be a bit pissy. I am not saying it is a good excuse, but it is all I got. I am sorry, I am heading to bed." Airu pushes past Auron and leaves the dorm room.

"Ren, is that true?" Ruby asks.

"That and a whole lot more," he grimmly replies, "I should know, I was one of those who helped her kill all those innocent people." Ren pinches the bridge of his nose. "I really don't want to remember that time, it wasn't good for me. I am going to bed too. Join us when you two are ready, okay." Ren leaves as well.

"This, is a lot to take in," states Yang, "I think we should all turn in for the night."

"Agreed," replies the rest of Team RWBY. Auron and Tidus nod and remove themselves from the room. They close the door behind them and walk towards their dorm room.

* * *

Seymour helps Roman into a dark room as they look around for a place to heal Roman's wound. From behind them, a rather young woman approches them, "We expected more from you two," she claims from the shadows.

"My apologies," Seymour says.

"Sorry," adds Roman, "But in case you haven't noticed, I nearly had my dick chopped off my some eagle faunus with a electric rapier."

"Yes, but we need to cut our losses somewhere," jokes the woman.

"Not funny." The woman forms a fireball and Roman gulps.

"Really, I thought differently. We have big plans for you two. All we ask is a little cooperaton."

"If I may," requests Seymour, "I think we should begin the process. The fiends may not be able to stand against our advisaries now, but with some extra power, they would be unstoppable."

"Yes. Go now. This shall give pleanty of time for us to prepare." Seymour leaves the room, alone, Roman lays in the room holding his crotch, and the woman stands over him, grinning.

* * *

Qrow, uncle of Yang and Ruby, sits in a dark, old bar. He takes a drink of whiskey before turning to the man beside him. He is shrouded by darkness, but his deep voice can be heard. "So what now?" he asks the crow.

"We sit back and wait," replies Qrow, "Until we know her stratagy, we can't make anymoves. We need to stay in the dark for now."

"Alright. Is there anyway to send something to them?"

"Not without it being traced to us. Unless…"

"What are you thinking?"

"I am thinking about paying a visit to my ex-brother-in-law. What do you need sent?"

"This." The shadowy man hands Qrow something wrapped in cloth. "Tell him this is for Red."

"I don't think… I will make sure it gets there."

"Thanks." The shadowy man takes a drink of scotch. "War is coming, isn't it."

"Yeah. Think we can stop it?"

"No, do you?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"I have no idea. Don't worry, I'll think of something."

"You better." The two men laugh as the drink the night away.

* * *

Auron lies in his bed with his head looking at the ceiling as he is lost in thought. "Auron?" the harpy asks, bring him out of his thought. He turns to her bed and sits up.

"Yes, Airu," he responds.

"I am sorry. You're right, I should of told you guys more, especially since we knew you guys were not from here either."

"Thank you. I am sorry too. I didn't mean to question your leadership. You are smart, strong, and when it comes to battle, level-headed. You have a temper, and we will need to control that, but you are a great leader. Though, I shouldn't be one to talk. Ever since I arrived here, I have felt myself actually following my emotions more."

"Yeah, me too. Just make sure to not let them control you. Trust me, the struggle is real."

"I will. Goodnight, Airu."

"Goodnight, Auron." The two lay back down in their beds before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 **Another chapter in the books. This is the longest chapter so far, and that isn't even including the AN's. I edited this one the most with the conversation, trying to add in the suggestion from the other day.**

 **Now RWBY knows that AART are all from other worlds, Auron and Tidus are aware of Airu and Ren's past, or at least some of it. Weiss is the only one who knows the whole story with Airu, but the rest of her team knows of some of her sin.**

 **Plus, we got to know the blue-haired man is Seymour. We can't have just Tidus and Auron be here, and the fiends came with the Guado. And we have another mystery, who is with Qrow. All will be found out in due time, but you guys might be able to guess. You are smart, I hope.**

 **Tuesday you will get two chapters because they are short and are fluff. Mainly just dual featuring Tidus and Auron, because they haven't gotten one yet. I gave one to Ren and Airu, might as well give the other half one as well. The fights are going to be Auron v. Yatsuhashi and Tidus v. Pyrrha.**

 **Also, still looking for some cover art in anyone is interested. Until next time, please review, follow, and/or favorite so that I may get better.**


	16. Chapter 15: Duel

**Well, here we are, the fluff before Volume 2. I decided to put these in because, well, Auron and Tidus haven't had their own one-on-one fight yet, so we will get them. Plus we have some plot, so that works out.**

 **Special thanks to ibin for the favorite on the story.**

 **We also a have review to comment on.**

 _ **alexwu704: Excellent with Seymour, I hope the Dark Aeons will come soon to deal with Team RWBY and Team AART.** **I wonder (if) Ironwood would do something about this situation about the pyreflies and how the enemies are using them.**_

 **First of all, thanks for the review. Seymour was planned from pretty much from the beginning because he is the only humanoid villain that is prevalent in FFX, so how he works with the whole crew with Roman.**

 **The Dark Aeons, I have plans for those much later, but keep an eye out for them to make an impact.**

 **Ironwood does not know about the pyreflies yet, so I don't think he will have much say in it, but I will take that in consideration when I go back and edit the chapters later on.**

 **Now then, here is the first part of today's double header, so sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Duel**

It's semester break, most students are out visiting home or enjoying the time off school. Though, some decide to stay in their dorms for the month long break, like Team AART. Auron walks down the now quite halls on his way to Team CFVY's room. While Auron and Coco had not made plans for today, Auron thinks it would be nice to be with her for the day. Arriving at the room, he knocks on the door. To Auron's surprise, it was not Coco who stood in the doorway. Instead it was her seven foot tall teammate, Yatsuhashi.

"Hello Auron," says Yatsuhashi.

"Hello," he replies as he adjusts his new haori. His outfit is a new blue haori, worn in a similar fashion to his red, a red muscle shirt and red trousers, "Is Coco here?"

"No, Velvet and Coco went out for the day. I don't think they will be back until late tonight. Would you like to come in?"

"Yeah, I don't really have anything to do today." The giant moves out of the way as Auron walks into the room. He sits down in a chair while Yatsuhashi sits in front of him.

"So, how have you been?"

"Good, now that finals are done."

"Those are a killer. I heard you took Weapon Crafting, how was that?"

"It was good class. I never really built my own weapons. One of my friends was who we all went to for improvements."

"They must of been quite skilled then. What did you make?"

"Just a new blade, dual-edged though."

"Hmm, not bad. Have you had a chance to test it out yet?"

"Not really, just a few swings for balance is all."

"Then let's go test it out."

"That sounds like a good idea. I will meet you in the training room."

"Alright."

* * *

The two warriors meet in the training room. Yatsuhashi is now in his combat gear, a green one-arm robe over a muscle shirt. On his left arm is a layered shoulder guard and around his wrists are green bracers. In his right hand is a large copper-colored sword that looks like an enlarged version of Tidus's blade, without the water.

Auron rests his new blade, Muramasa, on his shoulder. The new blade has a similar color scheme to Yatshuhashi's, but looks more like a great sword than a katana. The guard has a lion design as well. "So, what is your blade's new name?" asks the giant.

"Muramasa," answers Auron.

"Fitting name. Shall we begin?"

"Yes, let's begin." The two ready their stances as the wind blows through an open window, causing Auron's sleeve to flap. Then, it goes silent. Charging, both men trade one-handed strikes from their blades. With surprising speed, the blades clash sending sparks into the air. The two lock up in a struggle for power, and the giant manages to push the guardian back.

Not waiting, Yatsuhashi charges again bringing his blade for an overhead strike. Auron regains himself as the giant blade crashes where he once stood. The ground is sent up from the attack and creates a cloud of dust. Auron remains still as he waits for his opponent to emerge. Coming from the left, the giant swings his blade upward. Sensing the attack, Auron turns and blocks the attack. The two step back from each other.

"You know how to use that, that's good," acknowledges the giant.

"You as well, but I feel you are holding back," observes the guardian.

"I would call it feeling out."

"Whatever you call it, there is no point now."

"I couldn't agree more." Both grip their weapons with two hands now. They charge each other once more. Auron strikes first, but Yatsuhashi blocks. Bringing his blade up, he swings down upon Auron, who blocks it as well, but the force pushes him back. Seeing the opportunity, the giant swings his blade down to the ground, sending a wall of rocks to chase Auron down. Auron feels a strange energy coursing through his body.

"Pitiful!" chants Auron as he leaps into the air. Griping the blade, he points it down as he decends, shouting "Dragon Fang!" The blade sinks into the ground as it sends a shock wave that cuts down the rock wall and sends it back to the giant. He manages to leap out of the way, but gets hit by a slash from Auron.

"Impressive, but don't think this is over yet."

"I wouldn't be so sure!" Auron slashes again, this time it is blocked. The force stuns the giant as he staggers back. "No mercy!" Auron chants again. Gripping the blade like a bat, he rushes the giant and takes a swing. "Shooting Star!" The attack hits and sends the Yatsuhashi flying into the wall. Crashing into it, he slowly slides down to the ground. Auron rushes to his side as he begins to stand up.

"That, was powerful."

"You should be lucky, most who get hit by that attack don't get back up soon, much less at all. Nice job."

"Thanks, you think you can help me to the nurse's office."

"Yeah." Auron allows the giant to lean on him as he leads him to the door, which is being occupied by Glynda.

Marching over to the two looking really pissed, she asks, "What is going on here? Students are complaining about explosions and crashes."

"We were having a duel," replies Auron. Glynda looks around the broken room and notices the wall.

"How the hell did you manage to break the wall that high up?"

"Try sending this guy flying, I am surprised he didn't go through it." Lost for words, Glynda just storms off to go fix everything. Auron leads Yatsuhashi to nurse's office and leaves him there before walking off.

* * *

A couple of hours passed by and the sun is now setting. Deciding to try his luck again, Auron begins walking back to CFVY's room. While doing so, he notices Velvet and Yatsuhashi walking down the hall together. "Hey, Velvet," he says before turning to the giant, "Are you sure you should be up?"

"Nurse said it is a minor concussion," he claims.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"So you did that?" asks Velvet.

"He didn't tell you? He and I had a duel earlier and I sent him into one of the walls."

"Not to mention that it was towards the top of a twenty-foot wall." The two laugh as Velvet looks in shock and horror.

"I am not sure what to be more afraid of now; the fact you can send him nearly twenty feet in the air with such power, or the fact you survived that with only a minor concussion."

"At least we are on your side," replies Auron, "Is Coco back too."

"Yeah, she decided to lie down while I went to check on Yatsu."

"Alright, I suppose I will walk with you guys." The three walk towards the dorm room together. When they get there, they walk in as Coco steps out of the bathroom in just a towel.

Auron's face turns red as he says, "I will wait outside."

Also embarrassed, Coco replies, "That would be a good idea." Auron waits outside for a few minutes before the door opens up and Coco steps out. "Now that I am dressed, what's up."

"Sorry about that, I didn't know you were in the shower." Auron scratches the back of his head.

"You are not in trouble. Besides, it was an accident. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks?" Coco just laughs.

"So what do you want to do? A lot of places are closed now, and I am pretty sure a match against our resident swordsmen is out of the question."

"Sorry about that as well. I really didn't plan on anything today, I just thought it would be nice to spend some time together."

"Then let's go to a club."

"Alright." The two walk down the hall into the night to enjoy themselves.

* * *

 **Yeah, not a whole lot happening, mostly just the duel with Yatsuhashi. Also, Auron's Overdrives? What could that mean? That's for me to know and you to guess and wait till I tell you.**

 **Anyways, I will be posting the next chapter soon as well, so stay tuned for that.**


	17. Chapter 16: Magnets

**Back already, and here we are with our second fluff chapter. Again short, but there are some things that have to happen to advance the story. Anyways this will be Tidus vs Pyrrha in a small duel. There really isn't much else to say other than to sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Magnets**

Tidus walks up to the roof out of habit. With Jaune's training, he spent most of his nights up on the roof helping him get better with Pyrrha. Jaune however, is at home with his family for the break. When Tidus arrives on the roof, he notices Pyrrha standing there in her combat gear as well. "Hey," he calls out.

The gladiator turns to the blonde dream's voice. "Oh, hello Tidus," she replies.

"No Jaune yet?"

"Not yet. I wonder where… I just remembered he is at home."

"Oh, yeah. I guess he is. So what do you want to do then?"

"I don't know. I really just did this to help Jaune get better."

"Yeah, I think that is why Airu asked me to do it, too."

"I think she thought you and Jaune would get along."

"Well, I guess she was right."

"Yeah, I suppose she was."

"Why don't we have a match?"

"But the training room is closed. After Auron and Yatsuhashi nearly destroyed the place, they decided to have a teacher running it from eight to five during the week."

"Then we do it here."

"I don't know."

"Come on, we have been so busy with Jaune, we haven't bothered to spar each other. We just have to make sure we don't go too far."

"I am really not sure about this."

"What, you afraid of a little challenge? I thought you won some tournament four times in a row."

"Alright, alright. One match wouldn't hurt."

"That's the spirit." The two take their places across from each other on the roof. Tidus readies his blade off to the side while Pyrrha puts up her shield, Akouo, and changes her weapon, Milo, into Xiphos form. The double-edged blade rests in her right hand as the two stare each other down. The city air blows around them creating a soft roar. Then it stops.

The two charge at each other. Tidus swings his sword and Pyrrha blocks with her shield. The gladiator stabs forward as the dream sidesteps the attack and sends a blast of water. The water makes contact with the shield inches in front of her face, but takes a slash from behind. Stumbling forward, the gladiator turns to another sword swing, but manages to block this one.

She switches her weapon to it's javelin form as she blocks another attack. Using her shield as a magnet, she pulls herself backwards to avoid another slash. Landing a safe distance, she throws her spear at the dream, who avoids it and charges forward. Using her Semblance again, Pyrrha brings her weapon back as she knocks back two sword swings. The spear knocks the dream in the head before returning to her hand.

Leaping back once more, the gladiator changes Milo again, this time to its rifle form. Tidus recovers to find his opponent firing shots at him. He brings his sword up and blocks the first two, but is hit in the stomach by the third. Before anymore can be fired, he sends a wave of water at the gladiator. The wave sweeps her off her feet, allowing Tidus a chance to run it. He charges with a leaping slash that is blocked by her shield. Pyrrha blocks another attack from the dream with her weapon, now in Xiphos form once more.

Tidus hops back this time, and feels a strange energy course through his body. He turns to the gladiator. "Looks like you live up to your reputation," he complements.

"You are pretty good yourself," she returns, "But let's see how well you fight without your weapon." Using her Semblance, she pulls Brotherhood from Tidus's hand, with a fair amount of resistance, and tosses it up above her head.

"You must have forgotten something."

"And what would that be?"

"My blade contains water." Using his own Semblance, he pours water from the blade upon the gladiator. Spinning the blade a little closer, he draws the water back in as he charges a little energy. "I've been saving this one for you!" he chants. With surprising flexibility, the dream performs some flips and turns as he runs towards his sword. Catching it, he begins his descent upon the stunned gladiator. "Spiral Cut!" He swings his blade down and sends Pyrrha skidding back, barely able to block it with just her shield.

"That was impressive, I must admit."

"We are not done yet. I hope you can swim." Tidus drains all the water from Brotherhood, leaving only the blue steel blade underneath. The water pools around the two as it forms a large spear. He begins to charge energy again as the water rises around them. "Check this out!" he chants once more. The water has now surrounded them as it fill the space they occupy. Before the water covers his face, the dream shouts, "Slice and Dice!" The water fills the entire sphere, containing both Tidus and Pyrrha.

Tidus jets through the water as he slashes at the gladiator as she struggles to breathe. He comes back and slashes again, and again, and again. After five attacks, he stops and turns to his opponent. She still struggles for air, but her weapons have been left to float beside her. Knowing he has won, the dream releases the water and allows it to flow back into his blade. The two land on solid ground, and Pyrrha begins to gasp for air.

"Sorry, didn't mean to drown you," Tidus apologizes. Pyrrha begins to stand up as she seems to regain the ability to breathe.

"Don't worry about it," she says, "You did what you had to do to win. It was an excellent strategy to trap us both in water knowing you could fight under those conditions."

"Hey, you almost had me with a few of those swings."

"Yeah, but almost isn't enough."

"Still, that was a great match."

"It was. I haven't had to face such a strong opponent in a while."

"Really, none of the other students are good enough?"

"Well, I haven't fought everyone, but most won't even attempt to fight me. My fame has separated me from everyone else. They put me on this pedestal and have avoided me for a while now."

"I see, you have all this fame, but with it comes fear. People treat you differently because they think you are something special. I suppose it makes it hard to make friends."

"Yeah. It is funny, when I first met Jaune, he had no clue who I was. It was comforting, to say the least, that there was someone willing to talk to me and not know who I was. It is weird meeting new people, but then they know everything about you before you even meet."

"Yeah, you're right, that is weird. Well, we should get back, it's getting late."

"I suppose you're right." Tidus turns and tries to walk away, but his hand is grabbed by Pyrrha.

He turns as he asks, "What is it?" The response didn't come in the form of words, but instead he felt the lips of the gladiator pushed against his. Not thinking, he returns the favor and the two share an embrace. They quickly separate when they realize what they are doing, cheeks reddening with embarrassment.

"I… I'm sorry." Before Tidus can reply, Pyrrha runs off into the building. Tidus is left to his own thoughts on the roof.

"What just happened? That, felt good, but bad. Yuna, I know you said you would find me, but will you make it here before I forget you?"

* * *

Pyrrha stops to catch her breath in the halls after the embrace on the roof. "What am I doing?" she asks herself, "Why did I kiss him? I like Jaune, right? What is going on with me? Is it because they are similar? I don't know." Deciding to sleep on it, she quickly hurries to her own room and changes for bed. Lie Ren and Nora are there, but she says nothing to them, as she falls asleep.

* * *

Tidus arrives back at him dorm, still in shock of what happened. Auron and Ren Glain are in their beds sleeping. Airu, however, is still up checking the Dust chambers of her weapons. She turns to the dream and says, "About time you got back. What took you so long?"

"Pyrrha and I decided to have a sparring match since Jaune was home with is family," he replies.

"Oh, nice. Who won?"

"I did. Nearly drowned her."

"That wouldn't be good."

"No. Afterwards, we talked for a bit."

"About?"

"A lot. Mostly about her feelings that come with her reputation. Then the weirdest thing happened." Airu sets her weapons to the side as she begins to listen more closely.

"Do tell."

"I was about to leave when she pulled me back, and kissed me." The harpy's jaw drops.

"What. The. Fuck. Did you kiss back?"

"I did, without thinking. It all happened so fast, I wasn't sure what was going on. Then she backed off, said she was sorry, and ran off."

"Well, what do you think now?"

"I don't know. I promised I would wait for Yuna, but now I don't know what I should do."

"Me neither." The two remain silent for a few minuets before Airu speaks up again. "Look, as much as I would like to tell you that it will all be better soon, I can't. You have been here for about four months now, and nothing. Maybe there is a way to bring you from the Farplane, but Remnant. Man that is a whole different ball park. Besides Yuna, what do you have back in Spira?"

"My friends. Wakka, Lulu and the others. Blitzball."

"Anything else?"

"I… no."

"Besides your friends, you have nothing. We can always recreate blitzball here if need be, and you have new friends, Tidus. I am not saying forget them, but to them you are gone. Dead, just like Auron. I hate to tell you, but you have nothing to look forward there is Spira. But here, you have the chance to make a new story, one that you control completely. And to be honest, Auron would tell you the same. There is nothing to return to there, so don't bet all on black. Follow your heart, and if there is a way to return… You better make your choice before that time comes."

"Alright, I guess."

"Just sleep on it. Goodnight, Tidus."

"Goodnight, Airu." The two climb into their beds and drift off to sleep.

* * *

 **Heh heh heh. So yes, Tidus managed to win over Pyrrha, mostly by trying to drown her. Overdrives for him as well? And the kiss? Yeah... things are going to get awkward for those two. Not saying any more on that, but that is because I don't have to.**

 **Also, for those wondering why she didn't just avoid every attack with her Semblance, it is because she is trying to move metal and water, and that is hard unless you control both. She managed to rip it out of his hands with a powerful pull, but that is it.**

 **Anyways, we will start moving towards Volume 2 next chapter, which will come out on Friday. Until next time, review, follow, and/or favorite. Hell, draw me a picture for the cover art for all I care (though if you do that would be very helpful).**


	18. Chapter 17: Second Semester

**Alright my readers. Like always it is Friday, which means a new chapter. This is also the official start to RWBY Vol 2, so the chapters will have some more structure, yay.**

 **Anyways, thank you all for your support, no new reviews, follows, or favorites, but it still feels good to know you all are reading this. Without wasting anymore time, just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Second Semester**

Sun was walking along the halls with some kid with blue hair when Team AART notices them. They listen in as the monkey faunus talks to his friend. "Man, that's harsh," comments the blue haired kid.

"Yeah, we were all standing there as she stabbed him after he was down," continues Sun, "From what he was yelling, he almost lost his dick. Turned his pants crimson red. Then there was this other girl, super fast like a ninja. We distracted this giant bird creature that wasn't a Nevermore while everyone else charged an attack, but it failed when it sent a sonic boom over all of us. Then this blonde haired kid looked like he was playing ping pong with it using a bomb, and with one over styled kick, killed it." Team AART all begin to laugh at his retelling of the story. The two turn around to the harpy and her team. "Well, there is everyone but the ninja cat."

"That is quite the tale you told," comments Auron.

"I still stand by my decision to castrate the guy," proclaims Airu.

"That was no over styled kick," complains Tidus.

"I created the bomb," states Ren Glain, feeling left out of the story.

"Nice to meet you all, I am Neptune," introduces the blue haired boy.

"You must be Sun's friend," observes Airu, "I am Airu, and this is my team. The man in red is Auron, the blonde is Tidus, and the drama queen is Ren Glain."

"Oh, you wound me so," replies Ren, "When will the suffering from this unholy bitch end?" A slap from Airu is the only response.

"We ain't just friends," corrects Sun, "This here guy is part of my team."

"Our team name is SSSN," states Neptune, "It can be really weird."

"AART, I can see how that can be a little weird," agrees Airu, "We have a team here who is lead by someone with its name as well. The 'ninja cat' is part of Team RWBY, led by Ruby."

"We were just on our way to the lunchroom to meet them," remembers Sun, "You guys wanna come."

"We were already going there," states Auron.

"Oh, yeah right." The group turns toward the lunch room to find Glynda standing in the doorway. She looks to be using her powers to fix the room.

"Children!" She exclaims as AART, Sun, and Neptune walk up next to her, "Do not play with your food." They look into the room to see Teams RWBY, missing Yang, and JNPR after what looks to have been a food fight. Yang comes crashing through the ceiling a moment later, and stands up right afterwards.

"How far did she fall?" asks Auron.

"How is she standing?" asks Tidus.

"How the fuck did she get sent into the air during a food fight?" asks Airu, "Wait, better question, who was able to get her that high in the goddamn sky in general"

"I have no fucking idea," replies Ren Glain, responding to all four questions.

"Alright, now let's turn and walk away slowly. Pretend we saw nothing and go to IHOP instead." Team AART does just that and enjoys their breakfast in peace.

* * *

Seymour and Roman are sitting in an old warehouse while members of the White Fang and moving crates around. After his, operation, Torchwick was able to regain his, flame, but due to certain cut cords, he is sterile. A door opens up behind them as two teens enter the room.

The first is a tanned girl with mint green hair wearing a white vest that crosses over around her shirt that is green as it covers her chest features, and a pair of white shorts. The second is a young man with grey hair with a slate grey and black jacket and black pants with a sash to his right side.

Seymour and Roman turn to their new arrivals. "Emerald, Mercury, what a pleasure to see you again," says Seymour.

"Oh look!" exclaims Roman with a hint of sarcasm, "She sent the kids again! This is turning out just like the divorce!" He walks over and hugs the two.

"Spare us the thought of you procreating," complains Emerald as she and Mercury step away.

"I believe that 'eagle bitch,' as you call her, already did that for us," smirks Mercury.

"That was a joke, so please stop talking about that," explains Roman, "Now, let's see what you kids were up to today." Roman unfolds a piece of paper in his hand. Emerald looks around as if she once had it. "I'm a professional, sweetheart. Pay attention and maybe you'll learn something, or not. Now, what is with this address?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" growls Emerald.

"I believe that is why Mr. Torchwick asked the question, I presume," confirms Seymour.

"We were cleaning up your problems," answers Mercury.

"I had that under control," claims Torchwick.

"Two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale said otherwise."

"Listen you little punk!"

"Relax Roman," interrupts Seymour, "The young boy was just trying to do what he thought was best. While their methods were sloppy, they still arrived at the same goal we had for Mr. Tuckson."

"Mr. Guado is right," says a voice from behind them all. They all turn to see a young woman approaching. She has long black hair that rests on her left shoulder. She wears a dark red mini dress with some yellow details and a pair of black shorts. The new arrival walks towards the group and turns toward Roman. "I believe I made it clear that you would eliminate the runaway."

"I was going to…" begins Roman.

"He was going to escape, Cinder," interrupts Emerald, "Mercury and I decided to take it upon ourselves to kill the rat."

"I thought he was a cat?" wonders Mercury.

"What? Like a puma?"

"Yeah, there ya go."

"Settle down children," orders Seymour, "Were you not instructed to stay out of trouble while in Vale."

"I just thought…" begins Emerald.

"Don't think… obey," commands Cinder. She turns back to Roman, "And why was this not done sooner?"

"Well," begins Roman, "With trying to get my balls to not be hanging off to the side and stealing every bit of Dust in this blasted Kingdom, I have been quite busy! I mean, I have this place running scared. Police are crawling, Dust prices are through the roof, and we are sitting pretty with more of this shit than any man, woman, or child could ever need to storm Hell with two armies!" Roman's scroll goes off with a message from a man named Rage. "Who the fuck is Rage?" He reads the message. _Two armies isn't even close to enough, and your Dust would be powerless against me. Come back when you have someone who can stand up to me, then we will talk about storming my place._

"Seriously, who the fuck sent this. Back to what I was saying. It would really help if you informed me of the master plan, then maybe the next string of robberies would go off without a hitch."

"The last one seemed to go off without a dick," jokes Emerald.

"You can shut your mouth. You don't know what it feels like to be stabbed where it really counts, and then have electric currents run through your entire body as you bleed out of your once pleasant organ. Hell, I still can't smell anything, and it has been almost a month."

"Have a little faith, Roman," suggests Seymour, "I believe Cinder will tell us what we need to know, in case something were to go wrong. That way, our enemies can't get any information out of us."

"Yeah, yeah. So what now?"

"Clean this place out and move," she orders, "I will send you details with coordinates tonight. We are proceeding with phase two. Seymour, how are the experiments?"

"RKWL (rockwall) is almost ready," states Seymour, "As for the others, only a few have bonded. I am afraid I won't have them ready in their complete state for when the time comes. Shall I send in the basic ones instead?"

"Yes, best to keep the surprise a secret. Send half to the location we will discuss later, then send about a third of what is remaining to a second location as a test. I will see both of you very soon." Cinder, followed by Emerald and Mercury, leave the room once more, leaving the Guado and criminal to their own missions.

"I shall take my leave now, Mr. Torchwick," states Seymour, "May the blessings of Yevon guide you to victory."

"The what?" questions Roman.

"Never mind. Goodbye, Roman." Seymour leaves as well, leaving Roman all alone.

* * *

Auron walks into Ozpin's office, per the headmaster's request, and makes his way to his desk. Ozpin sips from his mug and ushers Auron to take a seat across from him. Setting his mug down, he looks to the guardian. "Mr. Ronin, thank you coming to see me," he says.

"It is not a problem," replies Auron, "But what is it that you wanted to see me about?"

"This." Ozpin places a tablet in front of Auron showing the battle between them and the fiend. "I received this from some of the security cameras in the area. There were a few things that struck me as interesting during this time. First is the creature shown here. It is obviously not a Grimm, and we both know of where you are truly from. What is this, if I may ask?"

"A Garuda. One of the more powerful, yet somewhat common, fiends in Spira."

"And based off that information, I can assume that you are familiar with these creatures."

"Correct."

"Good. How did it get here?"

"Seymour, the man with blue hair here," Auron gestures to the image of Seymour, "is a Guado. In Spira, the Guado were a race who had control over the Farplane and could essentially create fiends. Most fiends were wild, but they were able to create ones who could fight by their side, but if not killed they disappeared shortly afterwards."

"So Seymour would use them sparingly?"

"Most likely."

"Now then, what are these?" Ozpin zooms in on the pyreflies.

"Those are pyreflies. They are the souls of those who have died but have not passed on to the Farplane. The gathering of them is what creates fiends, weather natural or unnatural. Though, there shouldn't be any in Remnant."

"Why is that?"

"Because in Remnant, the soul doesn't leave the body, even upon death. Our beings are different. Before I came here, I had no Aura, but when I arrived, it was already unlocked. I think that when you cross dimensions, that you body adjusts to the rules of the one you are entering. It makes you like the others of that world, but long exposure to a foreign world causes the abilities to blend."

"So, if a fiend were to kill someone, would they die or be taken as pyreflies?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to find out. The only thing I can think of is that Seymour connected this world and mine through the Farplane, so it might be possible that it could affect this world as well."

"Alright, thank you Sir Auron. You have been a great help, so enjoy the rest of your day."

"Thank you, Professor." Auron stands up and leaves Ozpin to his coffee.

"You heard that too, General?" he asks through his computer screen as he unmutes it.

" _Yes, I think I have a way to test the transfer,"_ speaks the man on the other end, " _I will also begin testing these pyreflies later, maybe they could be of use to us as well."_

"As you wish."

* * *

 **Slow and short chapter, I know, but it is very important none the less.**

 **Before people start complaining about the lack of a food fight with Team AART, I really didn't think any of them would really be interested anyways, so they got to react to Sun's story.**

 **RKWL? What is it, you may ask? I ain't telling you yet, but you guys are smart enough to figure it out, I hope. I suppose I can give one clue; Breach. There you go, now solve, but don't spoil it for others, okay.**

 **Now this was going to be a lot shorter, but I added a little more mostly because of the comment a week ago. Ozpin knows about the pyreflies, but no one knows how this will truly affect Remnant. It won't be good most likely.**

 **Please review, follow, favorite, or submit some cover art, but most importantly, enjoy the story. I will see you all on Tuesday.**


	19. Chapter 18: The Next Step

**Alright, I am back, and early too. I know I usually upload on** **Mondays, but something has come up and I will be busy all day on Tuesday, so you guys get a chapter early, yay.**

 **Again, I know this is a little bit short, but it sets up for the next short arc of the story, the investigation.**

 **Not much else to say, so just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: The Next Step**

Teams AART, RWBY, and JNPR are in the library. Team RWBY look to be playing some board game while Ren Glain studies it. Airu looks over some notes from the previous semester with Lie Ren and Nora, more of the former than the latter. Auron and Tidus look to be doing the same with Jaune and Pyrrha, despite the awkwardness between the dream and the gladiator.

Over at Airu's table, the three look to be reviewing some of their history notes, or attempting to. Between the noise RWBY is making and Nora randomly chanting 'pancakes,' it made it hard to discuss. "This is getting ridiculous," comments Airu.

"I agree," says Lie Ren, "Nora, we don't have any pancake batter, so I can't make them for you. Can you please stop chanting them like you are part of some pancake cult?"

"Sure!" chirps Nora. Lie Ren and Airu breathe a sigh of relief before Nora decides to chant 'waffles' instead. Lie Ren places in face in his hand and shakes it while Airu twitches her eyebrow.

"I am not sure if she is being a smart ass, or a dumb ass," growls Airu.

"Don't kill her, please," requests Lie Ren.

"I wasn't going to punch her. Nora, will you please just shut the fuck up?" Nora stops chanting and looks to the two.

"Why, am I being annoying?" she asks.

"YES!"

"Okay." The orange haired girl sinks down into her chair quietly.

"Thank you. Now, if this is right..." Lie Ren and Airu go back to reviewing some of their history notes.

Over at Jaune's table, there is a thick cloud of tension surrounding them. Auron could tell, but the blonde night was oblivious to it. Tidus and Pyrrha were trying their best to do their work and not bring up the incident, at least in front of Jaune. "So," Auron begins as he changes the subject, "How was your break?" The question is directed more towards the JNPR members than Tidus, as he found out from Airu what happened.

"It was great," Jaune replies, "I was able to go back home and visit my family. My dad was actually a little surprised that I learned to fight as well as I have. It was nice to see them again after so long."

"That's great to hear, Jaune," adds Pyrrha, "Most of my family is out of the kingdom, so I wasn't able to go visit them. I still had a great time here, though. Tidus and I even had a sparring match."

"Really, who won?"

"Tidus." From across the room, Weiss heard this comment. Having already lost in her board game, she walks over to the table with Jaune and the others.

"Wait, what?" asks the heiress.

"Oh, hello Weiss. I was just talking about our sparring match the other night."

"I heard that part, but I think I misheard you when you said he won."

"No, it is true."

"How the heck did he manage to do that?"

"Pyrrha can't swim," responds Tidus.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You seriously forgot. My Semblance is 'Hydrokinesis,' remember. Plus, my sword has a supply of water that allows me to form a sphere about fifteen feet in diameter. I just used it to my advantage, trapped her inside and attacked."

"But, she could've just taken your blade with her 'Polarity,' right?"

"The one time she tried, I used it to dump water on her before dragging it back to me and attacking with it."

"But, but."

"Weiss, I may of won the tournament four times, but there will always be someone better," states Pyrrha, "Tidus managed to outsmart me and defeat me. I haven't let it get to me. It was more…" She trails off, but no one pays any attention to it.

"Of course, the one time I am gone, you guys have an epic match," complains Jaune, "Why don't you guys ever do that when I am around?"

"We have been training you."

"We really did it because we were up there and had nothing to do," adds Tidus.

"Alright. Say, Auron, I heard you are the reason they have to monitor the training room now." Jaune turns to the guardian as he says this.

"What?" Weiss asks again.

"Yeah, I kinda sent Yatsuhashi into a wall about fifteen feet high," admits Auron as he scratches his head, "I am kinda surprised he only had a minor concussion."

"What the f-," Before Weiss can finish, she spots Sun and Neptune walking over. "Fine looking boy over there." They all follow her stare to the two boys as they walk over to where Yang, Ruby, and Blake are sitting with Ren Glain. Weiss, Auron, and Tidus walk over as Airu arrives as well.

"Sup losers," greets Sun.

"Well yippee kai yay, the monkey man is here," replies Airu.

"Hello to you too, Airu. Ruby, Yang, Blake, Auron, Tidus, Ren… Ice Queen."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss asks with annoyance.

"Because you are a stuck up brat who feels she should be treated like a queen, and you use ice Dust the most," answers Airu, "Plus, something about that shade of white really makes you look like a cold-hearted bitch."

"Before you all kill each other," interrupts Sun, "I would like to introduce you to my friend, Neptune."

"Aren't libraries for reading?" asks Neptune.

"Thank you!" exclaims Lie Ren from his table. Nora, who was now no longer being intimidated by Airu, continues her pancake chant from earlier.

"Come on, don't be a nerd," teases Sun.

"I prefer the term, 'intellectual.'" responds Neptune. Weiss is the first to approach him.

"So Neptune, where are you from?" she asks.

"Haven. And I don't believe I caught your name, snow angel."

"It's Ice Bitch!" shouts Airu. Tilting her head back laughing, she nearly falls out for her chair. Weiss shoots her a menacing glare, but the harpy just keeps laughing like a hyena.

"I am sorry about her," apologizes Weiss, "My name is Weiss."

Jaune looks over to them and simply says, "Are you kidding me?"

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," compliments Neptune. Sun turns to Blake, who seems to be board.

"I never pegged you as someone who plays board games," comments Sun.

"Yeah," she replies weakly, "I think I am done for today, I'll see you guys later." She gets up and walks away. From behind them, Nora shrugs.

"Women," she comments.

Airu looks back to her with a dumbstruck look, "Lie Ren, I figured it out, she is a dumb ass."

"Airu, must you insult such a fair lady so?" asks Ren Glain with his over dramatic flare.

"Yes. She was fucking chanting for pancakes just a few minutes ago."

"So the maiden wishes for pancakes, is there a problem with that?"

"Yes, when she sounds like she is part of some weird cult, it becomes a problem."

"Thank you!" exclaims Lie Ren. Ren Glain shut up after that.

* * *

Airu walks down the hall to her dorm when she notices RWBY's door open, and voices coming out. "I don't know how everyone can be so calm," says Blake.

"You still thinking about Torch-Dick?" Airu asks as she opens the door a little more.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, that Seymour guy, all of it. Something big is about to happen and nobody's doing anything about it."

"Ozpin told us not to worry about it," reminds Yang, "Between the police and Huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it."

"Well I'm not! They don't know the White Fang like I do."

"Okay, well short of hiring a hitman to kill all their leaders, there is nothing we can do," states Airu.

"Plus we're students," reminds Weiss, "We are not ready to handle this sort of situation."

"And we may never be ready!" exclaims Blake, "Do you think they are going to wait around for graduation day?!"

"No they aren't, but that doesn't mean we need to pick a fight with them now." They all look to Airu. "I admit that something needs to be done, but we don't have the ability to do so yet."

"So you are just going to sit around and wait for them? They are out there, planning their next move. We don't know what it is, but it is coming."

"Tell me, what would you do if Torchwick walked right into this room right now?"

"I would fight him."

"And he would win. He would come in with his weapon, possibly some extra guards, and you don't even have your weapon. He would kill you where you stand, because you aren't ready. Now, that being said, if we knew what they were planning, then we could come up with a way to counter it."

"Alright, who wants to be the youngest Huntress team to take down a criminal organization?" Ruby asks with enthusiasm.

"I'm in," replies Yang.

"I suppose it could be fun," agrees Weiss.

"I'm down," responds Airu.

"Now all we need is a plan," states Ruby, "I left my game in the library. Be right back." Ruby speeds out of the room, knocking people out left and right.

"The rest of my team won't be able to help."

"Why?" asks Weiss.

"Auron has a date, Tidus is training with Jaune and Pyrrha, and Ren is doing whatever with Ren and Nora."

"Okay, that would factor into the plans." The four girls begin discussing ideas as they wait for Ruby.

* * *

 **Alright, that is settled. Airu will join RWBY in looking for clues, which means a new outfit. But that will all be revealed in the next chapter.**

 **Now, in case you are wondering why the rest of AART is not joining them, it's because they already have plans and are not as close to RWBY as Airu is. Don't worry, as two more people will join them later, and I don't mean Sun and Neptune (although they will be there).**

 **Not much else to say, so review, follow, favorite or message me. I appreciate all the support. I will see you all Friday.**


	20. Chapter 19: Harpy and Heiress II

**Alright, back again. Today is Friday, which means that you guys have a new chapter to read. I hope you guys enjoy, and sorry it is a little short. You can probably tell from the title, but this will be a bit more of Weiss and Airu interacting.**

 **Also, big announcement. I have completed this story, or at least through Volume 3. I still have a ways to go, but this story will end at chapter 52, that will be the last one of _Remnant of a Dream_. Don't worry, because after I finish posting this one, that includes edits, the next one will be out two weeks later. It will be called _When Dreams Become Nightmares._ It will be a while before it is posted, but that is the title for now. I haven't started yet, but I am planning it out so if you have any suggestions or OC's I will take them in consideration when I write it.**

 **Yeah, I have a large buffer for a while, so I may start updating more often if I need to. Anyways, just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Harpy and Heiress II**

Team RWBY and Airu are now standing in the bedroom of Team Ruby as they all get ready for the investigation. Airu decided to try on a new outfit for this, a button up brown vest with wool lining and the back cut out for her wings. She also has on a pair of camo shorts and some new black boots. The others strap in their weapons as they review the plan. "Everyone remember their roles?" Ruby asks.

"You and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies," states Weiss, "Seeing as how I am in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."

"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members," says Blake, "If I can get in with Airu, we can hopefully find out what they are planning."

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale," Yang admits, "Getting some information out shouldn't be too hard."

"Great!" exclaims Ruby. Airu notices something move by their window.

"Sun?" she asks. The window opens and the monkey faunus pops his head through the window.

"Hello," he says.

"Why were you up in a tree by an all girls dorm room?" Everyone shifts their gaze to Sun, who now stands in the room as Neptune climbs through.

"Uhh… It was Neptune's idea, he wanted to spy on Weiss."

"What are you accusing me of now?" asks the blue-haired boy as he stands up.

"Don't worry about it dude."

"I will deal with you two later," promises Weiss with an evil glare.

"So, we getting back at this Torchwick guy or what?" asks Sun.

"We are investigating as a team," states Blake.

"Sorry guys, we don't want to get friends involved," says Ruby.

"That's dumb, you should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune."

"Sup."

"I thought you said it was all Neptun-" Airu is cut off by Sun.

"Anyways, besides, Airu is here. Last I checked, she wasn't in RWBY."

"Alright fine," submits Ruby, "Sun, you go with Airu and Blake."

"Actually, I think it would be better if I went with you and Weiss," admits Airu.

"Why?"

Airu points to her wings. "Well, since my wings stick out quite a bit, even in the faunus community, and I was the one to sterilize Roman, he might recognize me if I am there."

"Alright. Then it will be Weiss, Airu and me, Sun and Blake, and Yang and Neptune."

"Wait, why don't you go with your sister, Ruby, and Neptune comes with us?" asks Weiss.

"I think Neptune is fine with Yang," states Airu.

"I have no complaints," agrees Yang.

"Looks like the teams will stay the same," observes Ruby, "Let's move out." Airu and Ruby walk out first, dragging Weiss by her dress as she reaches out for Neptune.

* * *

The trio walk along the sidewalk to the CCT, or Cross Continental Transmit System. Ruby and Weiss seem to be arguing about something, but Airu isn't paying attention. Ruby looks around as she takes out her scroll to capture a picture, but drops it at another girl's feet. The orange-haired girl picks up the scroll and hands it back to Ruby. "You dropped this," says the orange-haired girl.

"Penny?" Ruby asks. Weiss looks at the girl while Airu looks at the ground, thinking she may of thought Ruby saw some spare change.

"Uhh…"

"Where have you been, we haven't seen you since the night at the docks."

"S-Sorry. I think you are confused." Penny hiccups and tosses Ruby her scroll. "I got to go!"

"What the fuck just happened?" Airu asks as Penny runs past them.

"I don't know, but I am going to find out," proclaims Ruby, "Go make your call, I'll meet up with you later." Before either of them can say anything, Ruby is gone, leaving Airu and Weiss alone to make the call.

"We better get going," suggests Airu.

"Yeah," replies Weiss. Together, the heiress and the harpy begin walking towards the CCT once more.

"Hey Weiss," says the harpy.

"Yeah," replies the heiress.

"I'm wondering, do you feel offended when I call you 'Ice Queen' or some sort of bitch?"

"At first, yeah I did. But recently, I don't think so. I guess I have just gotten use to it. Why?"

"I don't know. I know for me I say it because of your attitude, but I don't really mean anything by it anymore, in terms of an insult at least. Your attitude has improved since we met though."

"Thanks… I guess?"

"Heh, remember when we first met? You were yelling at Ruby for tripping over some of your luggage and the first thing I said to you was calling you a bitch. Man I was an asshole."

"You still are."

"Yeah, you're right. I am an asshole. I guess we don't really change that much, do we?"

"No, but I am okay with that."

"You are?"

"Yeah, having you around tends to liven things up, and you can be pretty funny."

"You have you moments too. Hell, I think if you weren't as stuck up as you are, we would probably be arrested for destroying half the city, and whatever Yang does."

"I wouldn't be surprised. But I guess I can always bail you out if you do."

"Good to know. Now let's see what we can dig up on good ol' Torch-Dickless."

"I still can't believe your first reaction to being called 'eagle bitch' was to castrate him."

"What?! I was pissed. And incase you forgot, when Cardin called me 'eagle slut,' I made him go through puberty a second time."

"That was extreme."

"Yeah, what can I say? I have never been one to do things without going overboard." The two laugh before going silent. "Hey, Weiss?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me, that no matter what happens, we will stay friends, even if I have to drag your ass back from Hell or vise versa."

"You actually consider me a friend?"

"Yeah," Ariu wraps her arm around Weiss, "The only people I call a bitch are the people I hate, or the people I am really close to. Have you seen how many times I have called Ren Glain a fucking drama queen? You are the only one to have been on both ends of that scale."

"Heh, thanks."

"No problem. Now, let's go make a call!" There was an awkward silence. "That sounded a lot more badass in my head."

"Did it?"

"Whatever." The two make it to the CCT after a few more moments. Weiss uses her scroll to get the two up to the communications room. Airu looks to the heiress as she now looks serious. The heiress speaks with the AI as they make their way to one of the terminals for the call. Weiss takes a seat while Airu stands to the side, out of the way, making sure not to knock anything over with her wings. Soda and feathers don't mix.

A short-haired brunette appears on the screen saying, " _Thank you for calling the Atlas- Oh! Miss Schnee! Good Afternoon! Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister Winter might be here as well."_ Airu struggles not to say something about Weiss having a sister named Winter, and the heiress shoots her a quick glance before turning back to the monitor.

"No thank you," she replies pleasantly, "I was actually wondering if you could find some files for me. I've compiled a short list." She places her scroll in the keyboard.

" _Might I ask what these are for?"_

"School project."

" _There are some sensitive files on this list._ "

"Then I will be careful."

" _Alright. Are you sure you don't want to speak to your father?_ "

"I am sure, thank you." The screen goes black and the smile on Weiss's face drops. "Glad that is over."

"Strict family?" asks Airu.

"No, we just have an image to uphold."

"Close enough. Let's get going then, Ruby is probably still looking for that robot girl."

"Yeah, she probably is. Wait! Did you say robot?"

"Yeah, you didn't know."

"I never met her before. Ruby talked about her, but never mentioned her being a robot. How did you know?"

"Her eyes, they had what looked like a newer version of Ren's computer installed there."

"How did you even see it?" Airu flaps her wings.

"I am part bird, remember? I one of the perks is great eyesight. "

"Yeah, I remember. Let's go."

"Right behind you." The two begin running back to the city in search of Ruby and Penny.

* * *

 **I know this is very dialogue heavy, but there wasn't a lot of action and there really wasn't a lot to fill the time. Next chapter will be a little bit longer and we will find out the two who will join Airu, Sun, Neptune, and RWBY in the search for answers. Not much else to say, so have a good day.**


	21. Chapter 20: A Night on the Town

**I am so sorry. Don't worry, I am not dead. Yesterday was hectic, I got really busy and I couldn't use my usual time to update the story. Then, that night my computer decided to be a bitch and guess what, it didn't connect to my Wi-Fi at home. So yeah, sorry about that. Hopefully an upload today will make it a little better.**

 **Anyways, this is again a little shorter than what I would like, but I set up a fight for the next chapter, so yeah. Plus, we get to see what you all have been waiting for, the extra help for the Paladin fight for Airu. Can you guess who they are?**

 **Also, big thanks for your support you guys, you guys are why I decided to write this in the first place (that and nobody read my other one). I want to give special thanks to Tacuun for the favorite and InfinteParadigmShift (damn that's a mouthful) for the follow. That brings me up to nine each, which is...good. Either way guys, please just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: A Night on the Town**

Auron and Coco clink their glasses as they drink at 'Junior's Club,' a club operated on the south side of Vale and owned by a man named Junior. His real name is Hei Xiong, but everyone just calls him Junior. The two enjoy a nice time at the club after seeing the new Banshee Slayer movie. That is until one of the bouncers runs inside shouting, "Close the doors, she's coming!" Another henchman rushes to his aide as they close the doors and use their bodies to keep them shut.

Junior comes from behind the bar. Auron and Coco look to the door and ready their weapons in case things go bad. "What are you two idiots doing?!" questions Junior. Before the henchmen can answer, the doors explode open sending smoke everywhere. It finally clears and it reveals Yang and Neptune standing with eight bouncers surrounding them with guns. Auron and Coco approach, but don't draw their weapons yet.

"Guess who's back!" sings Yang. The music begins to cut out and stop as the bear-costume DJ hides under the table.

"What did she do?" Auron asks.

"I heard some chick came in here a few months back and practically kicked everyone's ass," replies Coco, "I didn't realize it was her."

Neptune, who hides behind Yang, takes a peek at the bouncers before saying, "So, could you define 'friend' for me?"

"Stop, stop," orders Junior, "Nobody shoot. Blondie, you're here. Why?" Auron and Coco release their grip on their weapons as they make their way over to the bar.

"You still owe me a drink," replies Yang as she drags Junior over by where Auron and Coco are.

"This should be interesting," predicts Coco.

"Indeed," replies Auron.

* * *

Meanwhile, Blake and Sun listen in on the speech being given by Roman and Seymour. The former finishes speaking about their new Paladin machinery and gives the floor to the Guado. "Thank you for that, Mr. Torchwick," begins Seymour, "Now, I believe you all must be wondering what I am doing here? Sure Mr. Torchwick has his contacts and weaponry, but what can I provide? Most of you haven't even heard of me. Allow me to first introduce myself. My name is Seymour Guado. Today, while Mr. Torchwick has given you all some new weapons, I shall give you new allies. One's no one on Remnant has ever seen, and may be far beyond what you believed to be possible." The spotlight shines on two different robots standing behind him.

"First, is the YAT-97." He points at the one hovering above the air. It has a stony appearance with round curves. There are two large motors in place of arms that are pointed in the air. "These are meant for the long ranged combat. They stay back while the others fight, providing mortar fire while the others take the hits. Working with these shall allow your obstacles die much more quickly." He then points to the next robot. This one seems to have no arms, but a more humanoid body. Standing on two strong legs, it looks to bounce back and forth on it's feet. "And now for it's companion, the YKT-11. While the YAT's will fire from afar, these guys will be delivering powerful kicks. These guys will take the hits while the others will bomb them. It should be important to note that if one of these is the last one standing, then they will go into Thrust Mode. In this mode, their kicks become much more powerful, able to send a Beowolf nearly fifty yards.

"Now, while you all must be wondering where I got this, I will not tell you. All I will say is that you will not be able to find who created these, nor will you find a way to create them yourself. Also, they have a mind of their own, so treat them well, and they won't kill you. That will be all."

Blake looks to Sun, who looks back at her. "We should get out of here," suggests Blake, "This is bad. First a Paladin, now these. We need to go."

"Will all new recruits please come forward!" commands a member of the White Fang.

"Welp!" softly exclaims Sun as they are pushed through the crowd.

* * *

Back with Auron at the club, Yang and Junior stand on opposite sides of the bar while Auron and Coco listen in from their seats next to them. "So, what can you tell me about Roman Torchwick?" asks Yang.

"Nothing you I haven't told you before," replies Junior as he takes a sip from his glass.

"What about his connection with the White Fang?"

"I don't know."

"What about this guy?" Yang shows him a picture of Seymour.

"Haven't seen him before," he replies after taking a quick look at the image.

"What do you know about them?"

"Nothing." His response came out more like a growl.

"What are they planning?" At this point, she practically demands answers now. He sets his drink down.

"I don't know!"

"How can you not know?"

"I haven't talked to that bastard or his friend. I haven't even seen Torchwick since the night you first came in here. He paid up front, I lent him my men, and none of them ever came back."

"Question," interrupts Auron as he grabs their attention, "Did he tell you what he was doing the night he borrowed your men?"

"He said he was robbing some Dust shop. It should be just before Blondie here should of started school. At least I assume you are still in school."

"Then your men not returning was partly my fault. I noticed the store getting robbed and incapacitated them. I apologize."

"It doesn't matter anyways." Junior sighs as he turns back to Yang. "I already told you everything I know. Torchwick hired my boys, and I guess he wasn't too happy with them considering they are probably locked up, which is _something_ I can relate to!" The last comment, directed towards his bouncers, only receives grumbles.

"Come on Neptune," orders Yang as she turns from the bar, "Nice seeing you two." She begins to walk from the bar when her scroll goes off. "Hello?"

" _HELP!"_ exclaims Sun through the phone, loud enough for Auron and Coco to hear.

Weiss and Airu have the phone on speaker and hear the call for help. "We better go," suggest Weiss.

"Auron should be near Yang," replies Airu, "If she is still at the club, she will bring some help along."

" _Big robot! And little robots with minds of their own! Run, Blake! Run!"_

Yang turns to Auron and Coco, who have their gear ready to go. "You guys want to come?" she asks.

"Did you have to ask?" replies Coco.

"I was already planning on it," adds Auron. The four quickly run outside as Yang gets on her bike with Neptune.

"How will you guys be getting there?" she asks.

"With this." Auron hops onto a nearby red motorcycle with bars sitting about chest high. Coco hops on behind him. The call continues.

" _The Torchwick guy is in the big one. It didn't eat him, he is like controlling it. Plus, the Seymour guy said the smaller ones have the ability to think."_

"Where are you?" asks Auron. Behind them, almost on cue, the two faunus run behind them with a Paladin and a small force of YKT and YAT's on their tail.

"Hurry!" Sun's call for help can be heard in person and from the scroll.

"Go, now!" commands Auron as he drives off with Yang behind. The two follow behind the robots as they enter a highway. The two bikes manage to pull up next to the robots.

"We have to slow it down!" exclaims Yang. Neptune looks to pull out a gun, but the Paladin crashes into multiple cars. The incoming vehicles look to charge the bikes, but they swerve out of the way. Neptune manages to fire off some bolts of electricity while Coco fumbles around with her handbag. Neptune stabs at the Paladin, but gets sent off the highway and into Sun.

Airu, carrying Weiss, fly over the highway. Weiss calls into her scroll to Blake, "I'm in position." She nods to Airu who drops her onto the road. She then swoops straight down with her rapier drawn. The heiress lands gracefully and stabs her blade into the ground, freezing the pavement. The Paladin slides across it and off the ramp as the rest of the mech stop. Some charge after the larger robot, but some stay behind.

Remembering what some off what Auron discussed about the different enemies they faced, Airu draws one of butterfly swords as she lands. Sending a wave of fire, she quickly melts the ice, sending the now water at the mechs, which causes major damage due to their weakness to water. The harpy lifts her rapier and thrusts it forward in a rapid session, sending bolts of lightning at the drenched opponents. Despite not having a direct weakness to lightning, they still feel the shock amplified by the water.

Airu nearly takes off to finish them, but instead grabs Weiss and pulls her down. Before the heiress can question her, a torrent of bullets fly overhead. They look as the mech fall apart, riddled with holes. They stand up to see Auron next to Coco with her mini-gun smoking from its numerous barrels. "When all else fails, fire a lot of bullets," says Coco.

"We better take care of that," suggests Auron. They all look down to see Yang, Blake, and Ruby all staring down the Paladin and the remaining robots.

"Yeah," agrees Airu, "I need to finish giving Torch-Dick his pussy."

"Finish?" wonders Coco.

"Can we talk about this another time?" asks Weiss.

"Fine, Ice Queen." Coco leaps down with Auron. Airu puts her arms up in surrender.

"Don't look at me. That was all her."

"Just go!" Weiss and Airu jump down as well.

* * *

 **Yeah, for those of you who guess Auron and Coco, you were right. Auron was an obvious choice, Coco is just there by association. Ren and Tidus are busy with their other matter at Beacon, so that is why they aren't here.**

 **Now, the mechs. I don't think anyone saw that coming, unless you guys are actually smart or can read my mind through a computer. I added them for two reasons. One, 7 against the Paladin seemed a little to easy, and two, the mechs do assist Seymour so it makes sense for him to have them. There won't be any Al Bhed mechs in Remnant, at least none that Seymour brings with him.**

 **Next chapter will be the fight against the Paladin, though not a whole lot of focus as Airu, Auron, and Coco will get the spotlight. And maybe a Semblance reveal.**

 **Anyways, I will make sure the next chapter is posted on Friday, so relax until then, and don't think I am dead.**


	22. Chapter 21: Paladin

**It's Friday, which means its time for another update. It's the fight you have all been waiting for, the Paladin. Not really much else to say, this is a little longer than the past few ones, plus there is some actual fighting. So guys, just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Paladin**

Team RWBY, Auron, Airu, and Coco stare down Roman and his mechs. Twenty or so are left from Spira with Roman's Paladin. Airu looks around at the surroundings. Since they are under the highway, there is a lot of trash, but also a lot of room. The harpy look to Team RWBY. "Ruby, you and your team take care of Torch-Dick," she commands, "Auron, Coco, and I will deal with the others."

"Got it," replies Ruby, "Alright team, let's do this." Team RWBY charges the Paladin while Airu and her group lead the others away from them. The robots surround them. Airu, Coco, and Auron stand back to back as they look on.

"Okay, what's the plan?" asks Auron.

"Focus on melee attacks or controlled range attacks. Your mini-gun might not work to well if we all are moving around too fast, Coco. If I find a way to lure them together, then use it."

"Roger," replies Coco as her weapon is now in handbag form. They charge forward. Airu dodges a kick and slashes with her butterfly swords, both drawn. The robot falls as another fires a mortar at her. Rolling out of the way, she sends a fire wave at her shooter, removing one of its cannons. Before she can destroy it, another kick is sent at her. The harpy barely blocks the attack and is sent sliding. She recovers and fires another wave of fire at the kicker before charging it with her rapier. She leaps to avoid another kick and stabs the YKT, destroying it. She follows it up with a fire slash at the YAT, which defeats it.

She looks up to see three more YKT's around her. "Fuck this!" she exclaims, "Just die already!" Now with both butterfly swords in hand, she begins spinning, bringing her wings in to speed her up. Igniting both swords, the flames swirl around her creating a tornado of fire. The robots move in closer, but to their surprise, the tornado is sent outwards. The scorching heat expands and coats the robots, reducing them to nothing but a molten pile of metal.

Coco ducks under a kick and swings her handbag up. The attack connects and removes the leg of her attacker as she rolls to avoid another. Not having her gun available makes things a little harder, but that doesn't stop her. The second year hops back to avoid another kick as she stares down her opponents. Two YKTs, one missing a leg, and a YAT that is currently firing at her. She swings her handbag at the explosive, sending it back to it's shooter. The explosion stuns it long enough for Coco to run past the YKTs and swing her bag down. The attack breaks through its body, destroying it.

She turns back to her last two opponents. They are standing in shock, with nobody and nothing behind them. "I hope you don't mind, Airu," Coco says to herself, "But I am going to shoot these guys." Transforming her weapon into a mini-gun, she aims it at the YKTs. "Bye bye." She opens fire and within seconds, they robots are no more. She reverts her weapon back as she turns back to the battle.

Auron rolls to the side to avoid the explosives being shot at him before slashing the leg off one of the YKTs. Not wasting time, he spins and removes the other leg with another powerful slash. As the robot falls, Auron looks up to see he is surrounded with a YKT in front and behind him and a YAT on either side of him. He feels an energy course through his body, the same one he felt during his fight with Yatsuhashi. He stares down the charging mechs and chants, "Pitiful!" He leaps into the air and grips his weapon with both hands. "Dragon Fang!" he exclaims as he begins to descend. He drives his blade into the ground, which sends a powerful shock/energy wave at the surrounding robots. He looks up to see them all reduced to bits and pieces.

The guardian looks over to RWBY and notices them struggling against the Paladin, then notices Airu and Coco surrounded by the remaining mechs from Spira. He thinks for a minute before coming up with a plan. "Yang!" he shouts, "Go help Airu and Coco, I can weaken Torchwick for you till then." Yang looks over to him confused, then nods. The busty blonde runs to help the harpy and Coco while Auron runs to the rest of RWBY.

"What do you have in mind, Auron?" Weiss asks.

"You'll see." Auron begins to draw energy as the wind picks up around him. Auron grips his blade in his right hand and lifts the canister with his left, taking a healthy drink.

"Oh come on?" complains Torchwick from inside the Paladin, "Is now really the time to drink. I do admit I enjoy a scotch every now and again, but we are fighting. Do I need to get you some help, because I know a good support group… IN HELL!" Roman begins to fire missiles at Auron as he finishes his drink. Holding the alcohol in his mouth, he slashes at the missiles before raising his blade once more.

Auron spits the alcohol out onto Muramasa and lifts it high above his head. The blade forms dark energy around it as well as some strange symbols. "Some can't wait to die!" he chants as he brings the blade down, "Banishing Blade!" The sword crashes into the ground, not even aiming at the Paladin. Dark energy forms around the ground where it was struck and four spheres rise from the ground. Like homing missiles, they track and strike the Paladin, causing damage. Yellow, red, blue, and purple energy run across the armor of the robot after this attack.

"What the hell did you do?!" asks Roman.

"Banishing Blade not only strikes an opponent, but activates all four effects of my Semblance at once. Now you shall face defeat." Roman looks around to see RWB charging at him with their attacks. They all cross the Paladin with their attacks. It remains still, before crumbling and exploding, launching Roman from it.

On the other side, Yang ducks to avoid a kick before punching her attacker with a punch followed by a shot from her shotgun gauntlets, Ember Celica. The attack destroys the mech as she rolls to avoid the mortar fire of another. Cocking her fists, she sends two more shots at the robot, blasting off both of its arms. A YTK tries to land a sneak attack, but Coco manages to smack it away with her handbag, leaving it open for a double slash from Airu. The three girls stand back to back as they turn to the remaining mechs.

"I'm not sure we can keep this up much longer," observes Airu.

"You got any ideas on how to kill them then?" asks Yang.

"One, but I can't guarantee I can pick them all up."

"You gonna fly?" asks Coco.

"No, but you can shoot them. Time to show this off." Airu sheathes her blades and places her hands in front of her. Feeling the wind move around her, she slowly begins to control it. It moves slow, but it quickly begins to speed up, swirling around them faster and faster. Directing it towards the mechs, she manages to pick them up, trapping them in a tornado. They crash into each other, but their bodies don't seem to be doing much to each other. "Now Coco!"

Not wasting a beat, Coco transforms her handbag into her mini-gun and opens fire. Their speed was enough to pierce through the wind and embed themselves into the robot's armor. The robots from Spira couldn't handle the hail storm of bullets as their bodies become disassembled and begin to explode within the tornado. Coco stops firing and Airu lets up on the wind. The broken bits of metal fall to the ground as Yang looks in awe.

"Is that your Semblance?" she asks.

"Yeah, I can control wind with it," replies Airu, "It really helps when flying."

"Why didn't you show it off before?"

"Who said I wasn't?" Before Yang can ask anything else, a metal leg sends her flying through the air, landing in a dumpster a distance away. Airu and Coco look back to see one last YKT that they missed from their attack. Then they notice something else, a single strand of blonde hair. Yang, from the dumpster, notices this as well and her eyes change from lilic to red, and her hair looks to have flames rising from it. Faster than Airu could track, Yang shoots from the dumpster, over fifty yards away, and crashes her fist into the robot who kicked her and damaged her hair. With almost the same force of a thrust kick, the robot is sent flying with its body parts separating in the air. One of the legs crashes into Roman, who looks to be getting back up from his fight.

"Who the fuck throws a fucking robot leg?!" he asks rubbing his head. He dust himself off. "I just got this suit cleaned, resewn and removed that blood stain." He looks up in time to see another painful stab come from Airu, but a pink parasol blocks it for him. Everyone looks to the new arrival. Her hair is half brown and half pink with stripes of white, while her eyes seem to cycle between these three colors as well. She wears a white jacket over a black corset, brown pants and knee high grey boots with very high heels, which doesn't make her look much taller.

Roman stands up and looks to the victors. "Ladies, gentleman, Ice Queen…" he begins.

"Hey!" complains Weiss.

"Eagle bitch…"

"Keep it up Torch-Dickless," threatens Airu, "and I will have your blood drizzled over Ice Cream over here and treat my sister to some dessert. Either that or I finish what I started so you two can share a dildo without it being stuck up your ass."

"I still have a dick you know!" Before she can reply, she receives a message on her scroll from a contact listed as 'Neo.' _Why would you think that we were sleeping together?! He is my brother!_

"I guess I wasn't able to cut far enough then, if you still have your dick. Seriously, were you guys adopted or something? And you might enjoy some fun time with your new sister when I am done here."

"Can we please stop talking about this?" ask Weiss.

"For once, I agree with the Ice Queen!" exclaims Roman. He turns to the girl. "Neo, if you would." The ice cream girl curtsies to the group, and scowls at Airu. This earns a stab into the chest. Except that once stabbed, the Neo and Roman fall apart like glass. Everyone looks around as they try to escape in an airship. Not wasting a step, Airu zooms at the two with blinding speeds and stabs once more, this time hitting the mark. The white pants can be seen staining red as Roman stumbles back into the ship, holding his crotch once more. "You fucking bitch! Why must you always stab my dick?!"

Before she can react, she is hit in the face with Neo's parasol and knocked out of the airship. Airu regains control as it flies off. She flicks her rapier off to the side as she lands, letting the blood fall off before placing it back in its scabbard. The rest of the group rushes to her. "What was that?" asks Weiss.

"I tried to get them before they escaped," replies Airu, half lying, "I was just caught off guard by the force of Neo's umbrella."

"You could try and aim a little higher you know."

"Yeah, but then it wouldn't be as fun."

"Still, she really seemed to make our plans fall apart." Weiss's joke earns a giggle from Ruby, a facepalm from Yang, Coco, and Auron, Blake walking away. And Airu…

"Never again."

"What?! But Yang does it all the time." Weiss points at the blonde in question.

"And we hate her for it too."

"Hey!" snaps Yang.

"Well, at least I am trying!"

"That the problem." Before Weiss can respond, Ruby notices something.

"Where are Sun and Neptune?" she asks.

"Probably eating bananas or staring into a girls dorm window." replies Airu.

"Yeah, that seems like them," adds Yang. The group nods before walking back to Beacon.

* * *

 **Yeah, that happened. Torchwick got stabbed in the dick again (I really am a dick to this guy), Airu showed off her Semblance, Yang lost some hair, and Neo is related to Roman. This will play a bigger part later on, but for now it is trivial.**

 **Before you guys get confused, Airu's sister is part cat (like most of her body is like a cat, not just ears like Blake) and is known to eat any type of meat, including humans (they are not related by blood okay).**

 **Anyways, Airu's Semblance. Controlling the wind just seems like something that people with wings would make use of the wind. Also, in the Isle of Warriors, and the backstory I wrote up for her, she uses wind magic, especially Aerora and Aeroga. This just gives her control of the air and wind similar to Tidus and water. This is also the surface of what she can do with it, so you'll have to wait and see what happens from there. She isn't called the Harpy of Death for nothing.**

 **Not much else to say. So show your support and if you have cover art, let me know. Until next time, have a good weekend.**


	23. Chapter 22: Moving Forward

**Alright guys, its Tuesday so that means you guys get a new chapter. We are starting to get closer to the dance, so that means love will be in the air soon. On Friday I will be posting the first 2/3 parts of the Vytal Dance (I am calling it that because there isn't an official name for it). I really couldn't come up with a name for those chapters, so they are all titled that. Anyways, it is time for you guys to read, so sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Moving Forward**

Pyrrha slashes across Cardin's back as he stumbles back towards his downed team. "And that's the match." Glynda declares. Cardin collapses next to the rest of CRDL, who were defeated right before he was. "Well done, Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament." Pyrrha bows in thanks before getting ready to leave. "Alright, now I know that is a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?" One hand shoots up.

"I'll do it," claims the male who accepted the challenge. Mercury Black stands up.

"Mercury, is it? Well, let's find you an opponent."

"Actually, I want to fight her." The young man points at the gladiator on the stage.

"I'm afraid Miss Nikos has just finished her match. I recommend you choose another partner."

"No, it's…" Pyrrha begins, but she is interrupted before she can finish.

"I'll do it!" exclaims Ren Glain as he stands up.

"Alright, the next match will be Ren Glain vs Mercury Black. Will the two of you please step forward."

The two enter the arena and enter their fighting stance. Ren looks through his eye piece as he scans the boy in front of him, and notices something odd. The match begins before he can figure out what and is forced to duck under a kick. He switches his guns to nightstick form and the two clash. Mercury delivers a flurry of kicks to which Ren blocks them all with his weapons. Ren knocks away the foot and fires shots from his right hand weapon.

Mercury manages to avoid the surprise attack and gets some distance. He brings his foot up and begins to fire shots from his boot, to which Ren blocks with shots from his now pistol in his left hand. He places his right hand, with his other pistol dangling from a wrist strap, behind his back and begins to construct a small bomb. Having enough of the gunfight, Mercury rolls to avoid more and charges Ren Glain.

Mercury unleashes a roundhouse kick that connects with Ren's face, but he only grins in response. Ren stumbles to the side with his hands in front of him, and no bomb. The gunslinger smirks as he fires at Mercury's feet. Moving his foot to the left, he fails to notice the small bomb that was the target. It explodes and sends the boy back. His Aura didn't go down much and Ren charges again, weapons now in nightstick form.

Instead of blocking the incoming strike, the boy raises his hands in surrender. "I forfeit," he states, but his words fall to deaf ears. Ren's attack connects as he shoves the barrel of his nightstick into his opponents head and fires an ice shot at point blank range. Mercury is sent flying, but manages to remain in the arena.

"Don't go quitting on me now," taunts Ren, "Afterall, you were the one who wanted to fight Pyrrha. You should learn that, in a real fight, surrender is not an option. No Grimm will give you it, so neither shall I." Mercury gets back to his feet as Ren charges once more. The gunslinger steps on the boy's foot and he lets out a fake howl of pain. "Oh come on, if you are going to fake pain, at least make it at least worthy of an amature play. Now that we know what you sound like faking it, I wonder what real pain sounds like." Ren throws a punch to Mercury's face, still stunned by his opponents aggression, and fires a fire shot. Mercury is sent upwards, only to be instantly slamed into the ground with Ren's hand around his ankle.

The force of the throw tore a small hole in the boy's pants, but it was enough for Ren to see what he needed to. The oddity of the boy what that his legs were prosthetic, and made of metal. He switches his weapons back to pistol for and fires off one last shot in the boy's chest. The attack leaves him with just one percent Aura left, just barely enough to avoid the lethal shot. Glynda walks into the arena.

"That is enough!" she exclaims, "The match is over! The winner is Ren Glain! While I understand the message you were trying to teach, he still surrendered. Nevertheless, you still won by normal means, good job. And Mr. Black, please try to have the dignity to follow through in a challenge, you did volunteer first after all." She turns to the students in the stands and continues on with announcements.

"Remember class, the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses. Class dismissed!" Ren Glain walks off the stage and notices Emerald and Mercury walking from the class.

"Mercury!" calls Ren. The two turn to Ren Glain with scowls on their faces.

"What now?!" asks Emerald.

"Jeez, you don't have to be…, never mind. Anyways, that was a good match, up until you decided to quit."

"Yeah, what was up with attacking me after I forfeited the match?"

"I felt it was my duty as the supreme champion of this world to teach the values of honor in battle. A Hunter must be able to stare down any foe without worry about skill levels. They must fight till they have nothing left. If they show courage, even the mightiest of Grimm will be no match to the power of a Hunter. That is what you must-"

"Alright, I get it!" Mercury interrupts the monologue. "Are you always such a drama queen?"

"Yes."

"Then I believe we should be going. Come on Emerald." The two walk off and out of the room.

* * *

Auron and Airu prepare their clothes for the upcoming dance. Auron, if Coco returns in time, plans on going with her while Airu has no idea. She has nice strapless green dress custom made so she can comfortable fold her wings in her dress so as to not take up the whole room. "So Auron," Airu begins, "How are you holding up?"

Auron hangs up his suit he plans to wear that night. It is a simple black tuxedo with a red dress shirt and a white tie. "What do you mean?" he asks already knowing the answer.

"You know what? Coco has been gone for two weeks now on a mission that should of taken three days."

Auron sighs and takes a seat on his bed. "Yeah, that. To be honest, I am worried. I know she can handle herself and she has her team there. Yatsuhashi can take a hit, and I believe Fox and Velvet and take care of themselves."

"You are just worried because she is your girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah. It is weird, I have never really felt this way about anyone before. There was that one time…" He trails off as he goes back to the memory. Airu takes a seat next to him, now interested in what his story is.

"What do you mean?"

"Back before I traveled with Lord Braska, I stopped in a small town for a couple of days. I had met this girl there, and we got along great. It was a drunken night when it happened, and we had to leave."

"What happened?"

"I made a mistake. Actually we both did. We got so drunk, we went back to her place for the night. But, as it turns out, she was married and her husband was out of town. I woke up the next morning in her bed and the husband returning. He chased me out of the house and tried to kill me. I managed to escape, but he threatened me that if I ever returned to that town again, he would kill me. I left shortly after, never to return. That would have been almost fourteen years ago now."

"You liked her too?"

"No, not like this at least."

"Well, let's hope she comes back safely."

"Yeah." The room goes silent, silent enough to hear Jaune singing outside RWBY's dorm. Airu pokes her head out as Weiss slams the door in Jaune's face. Snickering as she closes the door, the harpy hangs up her dress in the closet as well. Auron turns to her. "What is so funny?"

"Ice Queen just turned down Jaune's invite to the dance."

"When will he learn that Pyrrha is waiting for him?"

"I don't know, but her loyalty might be wavering." Auron raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Tidus didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"You remember how those two were so awkward at the beginning of the semester, especially when talking about what happened after their sparring match?" Auron nods. "Well, what they didn't say was that when they were talking, Pyrrha kissed him out of the blue, then ran off."

"Oh."

"Yeah, Tidus was confused and is now torn between her and Yuna."

"This might be good for him."

"That is what I thought. He need to move on, this is his home now. There is nothing left for him in Spira."

"I agree." The two lie down in their beds and begin to rest for the night.

* * *

Jaune and Pyrrha spar while Tidus watches from the side. Jaune blocks an attack from Pyrrha's xiphos and knocks her shield out of the way with his own. Seeing an opening, he stabs for it, but is swept off his feet by Pyrrha. He falls on his back. "Well done," complements Pyrrha, "Your swordplay has improved immensely."

"I couldn't of done it without you two," comments the knight as he gets up.

"So, are you ready to move on to Aura?"

"I think that maybe we should skip Aura tonight. Maybe go on a jog or something?"

"Come on, I know you get frustrated. I'm sure if you keep trying we will discover your Semblance any day now."

"That's not it. It's just…"

"He got shot down by Weiss," answers Tidus. Jaune looks in shock as to how he knew. "Airu sent me a message."

"Well, I believe the saying goes; There's plenty of fish in the sea," says Pyrrha in attempts to cheer him up.

"That's easy for you to say. You've probably got guys clamoring over each other just to ask you out."

"You'd be surprised."

"Oh please. If you don't get a date to the dance, I'll wear a dress." He walks away after that, leaving Tidus and Pyrrha alone. The two stare at each other as the wind blows through the air. After a minute, Pyrrha breaks the silence.

"Tidus," she says. Tidus looks down before looking back up. "I want to apologize for my actions the other night. They were unnecessary and inappropriate of me."

"Don't worry about it," he replies, "It really made me think about a lot of things. You know how I told you guys about who I really was?" Pyrrha nods, remembering when Auron and Tidus explained who they were to JNPR. "Well, before I jumped into the Farplane, the girl I had be protecting and I guess developing feelings for said something to me. She promised she would find a way to bring me back from the Farplane and that… that she loved me.

"As much as I want to believe that she can do it, everyday I stay here makes that idea get pushed down more and more in the back of my mind. I don't know what it is, but I don't find myself wanting to go back as much as I wanted to before. Maybe it is the same reason I wanted to show her Zanarkand, that I want to stay here. There is someone here who I care about."

"What are you saying?"

"I really don't know. I guess what I am saying, is do you want to go to the dance with me?"

"Umm, I… I…" Pyrrha struggles to find the words as her cheeks redden. Finally taking a deep breath, she looks Tidus in the eyes. "Yes. I would love that."

"I guess I should go get something to wear. I wasn't really planning on going until now."

"That would be a good idea." Tidus begins to walk away, but stops before the doorway.

"Goodnight, Pyrrha."

"Goodnight, Tidus." Tidus walks back into the building and leave Pyrrha alone on the roof.

* * *

 **Well, there it is. I decided to change up the fight between Mercury and Pyrrha to give it something. And who better to teach him than Ren Glain, who actually turned a little dark and sadistic, It's probably nothing.**

 **Also, hints towards FFX -Will- and Auron's daughter. I decided to put this in to show Auron's connection to Coco and how he felt about her. I actually had to edit it to account for her age, which I looked up as I was editing it. Her initial age was 13-14, and Braska and Jecht were with him, but when I found out she is actually 17, I had to change it up. I don't know if that will play any part in the story later, but I figured that I will at least mention her.**

 **And last but not least, it is official, TidusXPyrrha. When I first started this, I had no plans for a Tidus ship, but when I wrote Chapter 15, it just sort of happened. I just went with it, and it will play a factor in everything later on, don't worry. I don't do ships for nothing, they will have plot relevance. And their ship name, since I am the only one doing this, will be Star Athletes. I have made my claim, so one else can say they came up with it first.**

 **Anyways, Friday will be a double post, so be ready, because it takes two to tango.**


	24. Chapter 23: The Vytal Dance I

**Hey guys, I am back with a new chapter. This is part one of the double dose today, and the first part of the Vytal Dance Trilogy (I couldn't come up with any chapter titles).**

 **Special thanks to Neuanfang for the favorite, you are the 10th favorite so thank you so much.**

 **Not much else to say, so sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: The Vytal Dance I: Burning Candles**

Ren Glain emerges from his room, dressed in a black t-shirt and shorts, and walks down the hall towards the dorm of JNPR. Before he can knock, Jaune walks out of the room with surprising confidence for the young knight. "Oh, sorry," apologizes Jaune.

"Not a problem," replies Ren Glain with a smile. Ren steps back and allows him to walk away. He looks back to the room to see Lie Ren putting on a shirt, Nora lying in her bed with a 'Boop' t-shirt on and headphones over her ears, and Pyrrha sitting at her desk. "What's got Jaune looking so chipper?"

"He is going to ask Weiss to the dance, again," replies Lie Ren.

"Well, that's not going to go well."

"Why is that?" ask Pyrrha.

"Because said interest in on her way to ask Neptune right now."

"Ha, I knew it!" exclaims Nora, "I knew Weiss was into him. Pay up Ren." Lie ren pulls a Lien card from his pocket and tosses it to Nora. "Now I want pancakes."

"Is that all you ever want to eat?" asks Lie Ren.

"Yes." Lie Ren sighs and looks to the only person not of his team.

"So, what brings you over, Ren?"

"Nothing, just wanted to hang out," replies Ren Glain. He hops on Nora's bed next to her. "What are you guys up to?"

"I had just gotten out of the shower when Jaune started asking me questions."

"So that is why you were changing when I got here."

"And I was told to keep these headphones on," adds Nora, "Speaking of which, do I have to keep them on now?"

"No, Jaune left, so you are fine."

"Okay." The trio discuss other matters, school, clothing, weapon upgrades, etc. Ren Glain looks to have something on his mind as he grows quite.

"Hey Ren!" exclaims Nora. Both look to her, confused at which one she meant. She laughs before pointing to Ren Glain.

"What's up?" he asks.

"You spaced out, it was like you were in a whole other world."

"Sorry, I just thought of something and I guess I spaced out."

"What were you thinking about?" asks Lie Ren.

"Who Nora was taking to the dance." The room grows silent.

"I don't know, Ren!" Her answers confuses everyone.

"Which one?" asks Lie Ren.

"Oh, yeah. Let's see. There is Lie Ren who I have know since I was a child. He can be calm all the time and still look awesome. He does wear green, which looks good on him but can look like barf at times. Then there is Ren Glain. I haven't known him long, but apparently I tried sleeping with him before we even met, so that is… well that. He can be serious, but at the same time be wild and crazy like me. It is like someone shoved me into Lie Ren's body and he wore only black and was techy and not-"

"Why not both?" suggests Pyrrha, interrupting Nora's comparison.

"What?!" the three exclaim in unison.

"Yeah, this will give her a chance to decide who she truly likes."

"Are you ins- Actually that is a good idea." responds Ren Glain.

"I guess it's settled then, the three of us will go together to the dance!" exclaims Nora.

"This is not going to work," mutters Lie Ren.

* * *

Tidus walks around past some of the classrooms. Most of them were empty because there are no classes on Saturday, so it allowed him to walk in peace and quiet. Then he notices voices coming from one of the classrooms. The door is slightly ajar and orange lights pour from the small crack. "Yang…" he hears one voice, which sounds like Blake, say, "I am sorry that happened to you, and I understand what you are trying to tell me, but this is different. I am not a child, and this is not just some search just for answers! I can't just-"

"I told you!" interrupts Yang. The door, now open and Tidus stands in the doorway, but no one has noticed him. "I am not telling you to stop! I haven't, to this day I still want to know what happened to my mother, but I won't let the search control me. We will find the answers, but what good will they do if we destroy ourselves in the process."

"You don't understand! I am the only one who can do this!" Blake growls.

"No you don't understand! If Roman Torchwick walked through that door, what would you do?"

"I would fight him." Tidus gets an idea and notices a cane lying against the wall next to him.

"You'd lose!" Yang pushes Blake back.

"I can stop him!" Blake tries to push Yang back, but fails.

"Is that the best you can do, kitty?" Tidus asks as he mocks Torchwick. "I mean come on, at least eagle bitch could at least put up a fight. You are nothing but an filthy animal." Blake charges Tidus, but he just sidesteps the attempt. Bringing the cane around, he points the end at the back of her head. "You just make it too easy. This is where you die, kitty cat!" Making a fake gunshot noise, Tidus mimics the recoil of a gun before tossing the cane to the side.

"Nice one Tidus," complements Yang, "When did you get here?"

"When you said you won't let your search consume you." The dream looks back to Blake whose face looks to be filled with rage and exhaustion. "Look, I am sorry for what I said, I was just trying to get into character. Now, Yang is right. You need to take a break, focus on school, and then you'll find your answers."

"What would you even know?!" questions Blake, "You haven't had to deal with someone like this who can destroy everything you know and love!"

"Did you forget what I told you back when Seymour showed up?" Tidus asks with a growl. "I had to deal with that guy, who, mind you, was dead, multiple times. He kept coming back with some stronger form, but I defeated him with my friends. Also, during the entire time I was in Spira, I was always thinking about how to get home, but I never left everyone hanging out to dry if I ever found a clue.

"And when I realized I couldn't go home, when I realized what would happen if Yuna received and used the Final Aeon, you know what I did? I did everything I could to think of a way around it. But you know how long it took? We traveled halfway across the world before I found an answer. But here is what I did, I had the question in the back of my mind so that I could focus on our goal. There was something I always told myself, something I said to make sure I never stopped looking for answers, but never let the search consume me. I alway said, 'I'll think of something.'

"We will find Torchwick. We will stop Torchwick. But until we find out what he plans on doing, we need to prepare ourselves, not look for a fight. Don't wear yourself out and we won't have to worry about what we will do when we find him. I, no we, will think of something." Having said his peace, Tidus turns and walks out the door, leaving Yang and Blake to talk a little more. "If you have something to tell her, say it now, Auron."

"I believe you said enough for the both of us," replies Auron, leaning against the wall near the door, "Your suit just came in."

"Thanks." The two guardians walk down the hall and back to their dorms.

* * *

Airu steps outside into the courtyard of Beacon to get some fresh air. As she looks around, she notices Weiss sitting on one of the benches looking rejected. Feeling concern for her friend, she walks over to the heiress and takes a seat next to her. Weiss looks to the harpy, but looks back down to the ground.

"Alright, since you won't tell me, I guess I'll ask," says Airu, "What happened Weiss? Why do you look so sad?"

"It's Neptune," replies Weiss, "He… he turned me down." Airu takes a sip of tea, which surprised her that she even had, and spit it out.

"He did what!?"

"I asked him to the dance, but he turned me down."

"And here I thought you were just going to turn down everyone."

"Hey!"

"I'm kidding. Did he say why?" Weiss shakes her head before resting it on Airu's shoulder.

"No, he just chuckled and said no."

"Well, want me to give him the 'Roman treatment?'"

A small chuckle escapes the lips of the heiress. "I rather you not take the manhood of anyone else right now."

"Alright, alright." Airu and Weiss remain silent for a while as they enjoy each other's company. Airu wraps her left wing over Weiss like a blanket. For some reason, the harpy's cheeks were turning red. Not thinking, Airu breaks the silence. "This is probably a stupid idea, but what if the two of us went together?"

Weiss looks up to Airu in shock and confusion. Mostly shock. "Wait, Airu, are you…" Weiss can't finish the words, but the harpy knew what she meant. She says nothing for a minute or so, but looks to the heiress.

"I don't really know. I never dated back on the island, and I have never felt attracted to anyone in particular. That is not to say you are not attractive, but that isn't why I asked. I don't really know what I like, but it just felt like the thing to say at the time. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"It's fine, I was just shocked. I didn't really think of you as that type." They remain silent for a little longer. "Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"I'll go to the dance with you." Airu's cheeks redden more, and it looks like Weiss is blushing a little too, though the wing blocks some of her face.

"Alright, cool." Airu turns and gives the heiress a hug with both her arms and her wings. Whispering in her ear, she says, "Thanks," before letting go. The two let go of each other and stand up.

"I better get going, I still have to add a few more details to the dance."

"Alright, I will pick you up at six."

"Don't be late, I know where you live."

"Later, Ice Queen." Despite the tease, both look to the other with a smile.

"Goodbye, Eagle Bitch." Airu nods and walks back to her dorm with a newfound skip in her step. Weiss smiles before heading back to finish preparing for the dance.

* * *

 **So, Ren, Ren, and Nora going as one group, how will that work? I can tell you it won't be like you expect.**

 **Now, Airu and Weiss... it was not the original plan but ended up happening. It is something that will play a bigger part later on, so chill. I might as well just confirm it now, it will be a ship. And I have a name for it as well, Harpy & Heiress. Yeah, I know not that original, but it works. If anyone has suggestions for AuronXCoco, let me know because I can't think of one.**

 **Anyways, the next chapter should be up in a little bit, so stay tuned.**


	25. Chapter 24: The Vytal Dance II

**Alright, here is part two. Not much else to say, but it is a little on the short side. Just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 24: The Vytal Dance II**

Five o'clock, three hours before the beginning of the dance. Auron helps Yang out as the two finish placing the decorations around the ballroom. Auron wipes some sweat off his forehead as he places the last smoke machine in the corner of the room. "Here?" he calls out.

"Yeah, looks great," says Yang, "Thanks for your help."

"It was no trouble, with Coco out I needed to keep myself busy before the dance."

"Well, either way, you were a big help." Yang looks to the clock. "I better go, I still have to shower, get dressed, and find out who Weiss is bringing."

"Isn't she going with Neptune?"

"No, he turned her down, but she looked happy when we were working last night. She wouldn't tell me who she is going with though."

"I guess we will both be in for a surprise."

"Yeah, we will."

Five-thirty. Ren Glain knocks on the door as he and Tidus stand outside team JNPR's room. Ren Glain wears a white suit with a black bow tie, and has his pistols hidden in his jacket just in case. Tidus is next to him with a basic black tux, a navy blue dress shirt, a red tie, and a yellow handkerchief in his front pocket.

The door opens as Pyrrha stands in her outfit for the night. The gladiator wears in a long, sleeveless, red dress. "Oh, you both are here," she notices, "Ren, Nora, your date is here."

"Wait, what?" Tidus asks, very confused.

"Long story," claims Ren Glain.

"Whatever, shall we go?"

"Yes." Tidus and Pyrrha leave, arms hooked, as they begin to head to their dinner plans. Still waiting, Ren Glain decides to step into the room to see Lie Ren helping Nora with her zipper. She is wearing a pink, strapless dress with a white skirt while he is in a more formal version of his uniform.

"Well, what do we have here?" asks Ren Glain in a fake Spanish accent. Taking Nora's hand and spinning her around, he catches her as the two look to salsa dance, "I must say Señorita, you look absolutely magnificent. Come, the three of us shall feast like kings, then we shall dance like there is death on the horizon. We never know when our days together will end, so we shall make the most of the ones we have together, mis amigos."

"Arrrrrrrrrribah!" exclaims Nora, pumping her fist in the air.

"All for one and one for all!" exclaims Lie Ren, trying to get in the hype. Nora and Ren Glain stare at him.

"Señor, the three musketeers were English, or possibly French. They were not Spanish. Now, let us grab the bull by the horns as we enjoy the finest of fajitas."

"O'lay!"

"We aren't actually riding bulls, are we?"

"Why would we ride bulls through the streets of Vale," The three step outside to see three bulls standing in front of them. "That is very dangerous, I am surprised Tidus didn't notice them." Lie Ren breathes a sigh of relief. "No, no, no. After the dance, we run with the bulls."

"Can I ride one later?"

"As long as you don't break them, I see no problem with that," nods Ren Glain.

"Yay!" Nora runs around excitedly.

"Come, let us enjoy our meal." The three walk off to the beginning of the most awkward situation ever.

* * *

Airu stands outside the door to Team RWBY's dorm, now dressed in her dark green dress that reaches down above her ankles. Her wings sit comfortable in the back of the dress, folded up as to not get in the way. She checks her scroll, seeing the time as six o'clock now and she begins getting nervous. Pushing the butterflies aside, she knocks on the door. To her surprise, it is Ruby, still in her normal clothes, who answered. "Oh, Airu," she says, "I didn't realize you were stopping over. Yang is in the shower right now."

"That's fine, I am looking for Weiss," admits Airu.

"Oh, I was just helping her into her dress. Give me a minute and she will be right there."

"Okay, thank you." Airu waits for about a minute or so before the door opens up again. This time, Weiss opens it up, wearing a white strapless dress with a clean trimmed skirt.

"On time, I see," says Weiss.

"Hello to you too." Weiss just rolls her eyes.

"Cute dress. Never thought green would be your color. I guess there is something calming about it."

"Thanks. You look lovely, too. I guess white is your favorite color or something."

"I guess so. So, where are we going first."

"Well, I got us a six-thirty reservation to Grape Plantation. I hear their bread sticks are to die for, then we should be able to make it to the dance by eight, eight-thirty."

"We better get going then."

"Yes we better." Airu holds her arm out in a crook. "Shall we."

"We shall." Weiss accepts the offer and the two walk away from the dorm. Ruby stands in the room in shock of what she just saw. Yang opens the bathroom door in just a towel as she enters the room.

"Oh, did I miss it?" she asks while pouting.

"Yeah, you did," replies Ruby.

"So, did you see who Weiss's date was?"

"Yeah." Yang looks to be waiting for more, but Ruby doesn't get the signal.

"Well, who is it?"

"Oh, yeah. It's Airu." Yang's jaw drops, and her towel almost goes with it, but she manages to catch that.

"Wait, I though both of them were straight. Especially Weiss. Are you sure that is who you saw?"

"Well, since I answered the door first, said her name, and she had wings, I am pretty sure that was Airu."

"What about Airu?" Blake asks as she enters the room.

"Weiss and Airu are going to the dance together," responds Yang.

"So, what's the problem?"

"It's not that it is a problem, it is just surprising that Airu is Weiss's date." Blake drops the mug she was holding, that no one even saw before, and it shatters on the ground.

"I thought she asked Neptune."

"Looks like he said no," replies Ruby.

"This day just seems to get weirder and weirder."

"Why is that?" asks Yang.

"I just saw Tidus going with Pyrrha, and Lie Ren, Ren Glain, and Nora seem to going as a trio. Also, I think they said something about running with the bulls later, but that seemed normal for them."

"This is shaping up to be one of the best dances ever. I better get changed and I will see you two at the dance."

"Yeah, is the shower open?"

"All yours."

"Thanks." Blake steps into the bathroom leaving Yang and Ruby to get dressed.

* * *

Team CFVY rests in a abandoned building. The wooden rotting walls and broken furniture litter the room. No windows remain and glass covers the ground. The team have been fighting for days on no end. At first it was just Grimm, but then some other creatures began appearing. They ranged from dingoes to flying eyeballs to little cacti that fired needles like mini-guns. They have been fighting for two weeks with no way to call for help. Coco looks out the window.

"We got more coming," she observes.

"How many and of what type?" asks Yatsuhashi.

"About twenty, ten lizards, five eyes, four yellow artifacts, and one of those cactus fuckers."

"Can you take them?"

"Yeah, but I am almost out of ammo. I should have enough for these guys, but we need to get back into town and request a way out, and some back-up."

"Alright, take care of them." Coco lifts her weapon to the window and rests it on sil. Taking aim, she fires a barrage of bullets from her mini-gun, taking care of the lizards and eyes with no effort. The yellow artifacts take some damage, but look unaffected while the cactus hops around the bullets before firing it's needles in return. Coco ducks back inside and avoids the incoming storm of ten thousand needles. While they don't hurt much if hit by one, it is when you get hit with a storm that hurts.

"Damn, I can't hit that little fucker. Fox, assassinate it." A simple nod is all she receives in response as he slips out of the building. Sticking to the shadows, Fox manages to sneak up to the cactus and with a simple stab of his tonfa blades. The cactus falls down releasing some bright green and blue lights from its body as it disappears from existence. Not wasting anytime, he quickly loads ammo in his weapons and takes aim at the yellow artifacts. He fires water Dust ammo at the artifacts, soaking them as they fall to the ground, releasing the same lights as the cactus.

The dark skinned boy returns to his team. "Good job," Coco says as she gives him a slap on the butt. "Now, let's get back to the town, and then let's get back to Beacon." Everyone nods and bursts out the door running towards the town, but they fail to notice the man standing on the roof, watching as they escape, Seymour.

"So, they can handle the lesser fiends with minimal trouble," comments Seymour, "I wonder how they would fair against some stronger ones. I guess we'll find out, when Roman's plan is set in motion." He laughs maniacally as the sun begins to rise.

* * *

 **Not a whole lot of action, just the beginning of everyone's dates. I promise the next one will be long for you guys, one of the longest I have, and will get the ball rolling for more events to come.**

 **Now, Seymour and the Fiends. They are here. I had CFVY get the first crack at the small fry because they never explained what happened to them on their mission, so why not fill in the blanks. It will also lead to some other things later, so be ready for the next chapter on Tuesday.**

 **Remember to show your support for this story, I really appreciate it. I will see you guys later.**


	26. Chapter 25: The Vytal Dance III

**Hey guys, sorry this is being posted so late. I had a lot of work to do during the class I use to write and post this story, so I really had no time earlier. Plus, I sliced my middle finger over the weekend, right on the tip, making it hard to type, but never fear I shall fight through the pain. It really isn't that bad though.**

 **Anyways, as I talked about in the last chapter, this will be part three of the dance, and this is the longest chapter so far, sitting at 3,550 words before the author's notes, which will be longer still because I have some announcements to make at the bottom. Ahh, but who wants to hear me talk, here is the chapter so sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 25: The Vytal Dance III**

Airu and Weiss enter the ballroom together and proceed over to where Yang and Ruby were standing at. "Hey," greets Weiss. Yang wears a standard white dress, similar to a lot of the students around, while Ruby was in a red sleeveless dress with a thick black sash around her waist.

"Well, look who decided to show up," teases Yang.

"Sorry, dinner went a little longer than expected," apologizes Airu, "The chef kept messing up my order. Is it really that hard to make chicken alfredo?"

"Aren't you part bird?"

"Your point?"

"Just clarifying."

Airu shrugs and turns to Weiss, "You want some punch?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

"Wait, I'll come with you," suggests Ruby. Airu shrugs again.

"Sure, why not." Ruby and Airu walk away as Yang and Weiss begin talking. Ruby looks down at Airu's feet and notices the pair of jade green heels she is wearing.

"How are you wearing those?"

"My boots have a raised heel in them, so these aren't much different." Ruby nearly trips as Airu catches her.

"Stupid lady stilts. Seriously, how does Weiss fight in these?"

"Lots of practice. You look uncomfortable, why didn't you wear something you could move around in?"

"Because Yang said I couldn't wear my normal clothes."

"Are you not enjoying yourself?" asks a voice from behind them. The two turn around to Ozpin, dressed a little more formal than usual.

"Oh, no, everything's fine."

"Ruby is not use to formal events," confirms Airu.

"Well you can't spend all your life on the battlefield, now can you."

"That is true," agrees Airu, "The battlefield is filled with nothing but death and destruction. You need a break everyone in a while. In fact, dancing is a lot like fighting. Both take skill and the ability to know your partner. Though, you don't end up with stab wounds or bullet holes on a dance floor, unless you get between Ren Glain and his fajitas."

"Uh, what?" questions Ruby.

"Nevermind."

"But she is right," adds Ozpin, "It is times like these that we cherish the most, the times we spent together as friends and having fun. You should make the most of them now, because they can end at anytime."

"Way to dampen the mood, Ozpin," comments Airu. Ozpin just smiles and walks away. Airu grabs a couple glasses of punch, leaving Ruby at the table alone. Jaune walks up to grab a glass of punch.

"I see you are hiding at the punch bowl too," observes the knight.

"Yep."

"To the socially awkward." The two clink their glasses.

"Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss."

"It's fine, Neptune is pretty cool. I get why she went with him." Ruby giggles. "What's so funny?"

"Weiss didn't go with Neptune."

"I should say a few words to him then. He should really know what he truly did when he said no."

"I wouldn't worry about it, she still has a date."

"If she turned down me, and he turned down her, then who did she go with?"

"Airu." Jaune spits his punch out at some girls. They huff and wipe their face off before storming off.

"What!?"

"Yeah, I was surprised too."

"When did this happen?"

"My guess, after Neptune rejected her."

"Man, okay, wasn't expecting that. So who did Pyrrha go with?"

"I think Blake said she was going with Tidus."

"Looks like I don't have to wear a dress," he mutters under his breath.

"What?" she asks while raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. I am going to go mingle for a bit. See you around."

"See you later." Jaune walks away, leaving Ruby alone once more.

* * *

Tidus and Pyrrha walk out to the balcony. The two just arrived and, upon Tidus's request, avoided the dance floor. "So, why did you not want to dance?" Pyrrha asks.

"I...I don't really know how to dance," Tidus admits.

"You never learned?"

"I spent most of my time in the water training. And then when I was in Spira, I spent most of my time walking and fighting, I never really learned."

"I see." Pyrrha thinks for a minute before she hears the music. Grabbing Tidus hand, she puts it around her back and takes his other hand. She then places her hand on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"Teaching you how to dance. I figure that you might as well learn now. We don't want you looking like a fool in front of everyone."

"Alright." Getting a feel for the music, Pyrrha guides Tidus through the movements, starting with simple steps. Tidus soon picks up on it and manages to feel confident enough to look up. The two smile as they look into each other's eyes. The dream lifts his arm and spins his date underneath.

"And you said you couldn't dance."

"I guess all I needed was a good teacher." The two turn as they dance to the music. The song ends and the two let go.

"You were a lot better than I thought."

"Hey!" The two laugh as they look at the moon together. Despite its broken look, it still manages to cast an illuminating light upon the balcony. Pyrrha turns to TIdus.

"Thank you."

"What did I do?"

"For seeing me as a person, and for taking me to this dance."

"Hey, I don't look for people just because of their status, I look for who they are. I guess not everyone can put aside the fame and look at the person as a person."

"Yeah." The two stare at each other for a few more moments, not saying a word. "We should probably head back inside, we don't want everyone to think we have gone missing."

"Alright." Tidus and Pyrrha turn and walk back inside, but not before Pyrrha takes his hand.

* * *

Auron walks into the ballroom, late, dressed in his suit, and utilizing both sleeves. He walks around and finds Yang standing alone. Noticing him looking, she waves him over. He walks over to his and stands next to him, looking down upon the dance floor. "How's it going Auron?" she asks.

"Not too well," he replies.

"Coco?"

"Yeah. She should have been back by now. I know she can handle herself, but I still worry."

"Me too, I mean, two weeks late. Something had to have gone wrong there."

"I know that, it makes me wonder if Seymour has anything to do with it."

"Like he is targeting Coco to get to you?"

Auron lets out a long sign before responding. "I don't think so, I think she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is now battling a horde of fiends."

"But didn't you and Tidus killed tons of those in Spira? If you two can handle it traveling across the world, you would think she and her team can handle it for a few days, right?"

"But the situations are different. Back in Spira, we knew how to fight them, what their weaknesses were, everything. We had to teach Tidus, but everyone else knew. Plus, we had people who had specialties in taking down certain ones. Wakka handled fliers, Lulu had the elementals and flans, Rikku tore apart the machina, Yuna had her summons to take care of the big ones, Kimari and I broke the armored ones, and Tidus caught the fast ones. We had a team who each specialized in one type, but could help others as well. But if that team was here, we would lack our full abilities. Magic and skills we learned won't work here.

"I am not saying Coco and her team can't do it," Auron continues, "I am just saying that what I did was different. I believe she will come back, all of them, but I fear what would happen if she doesn't."

"Do you remember where she said the mission was?" asks Yang.

"The May Springs southeast of here, why?"

"We pick missions tomorrow, so why don't you guys take one in that area? It would give you a chance to look for her, and a chance to search for Seymour. If there are fiends in that area, then you are the best equipped to deal with them."

"Hmm, you might be right. I will suggest it to my team tonight."

"Suggest what?" asks Ruby as she walks to join her sister and Auron with Ren Glain not far behind.

"Where to do our mission," replies Auron.

"Yeah, it's back to work tomorrow," adds Ren Glain as he leans over the rail with the others. "What were you thinking Auron?"

"We check out the May Springs for any jobs," replies Auron.

"Coco?" Auron nods. "Okay, I am pretty sure Airu and Tidus will have no objections, so that looks like the plan."

"So, what happened with you and Nora?" Yang asks.

"Well, we started off great, but there was something, I don't know, weird I felt. Something just told me to leave. Besides," Ren Glain brings his attention to Lie Ren and Nora dancing, "I think those two will be just fine together. I think it is for the best."

"So, what are you going to do now?" asks Ruby.

"I think I may head home. I am not in the mood to go running with the bulls through Vale."

"I think I will go too, this is kinda boring," adds Ruby, before thinking back to what he just said. "How-"

"That's fine with me." Ren looks over to the red reaper's sister, interrupting her question. "You don't mind if I take her home, do you Yang?"

"Go ahead, it's not like you two are going to be stopping any criminals tonight," Yang jokes. Ren Glain and Ruby walk off towards the door, leaving Auron and Yang alone. "And now it's awkward again."

"I think I am going to step outside," states Auron as he walks away.

"And then there was one." Yang looks back down to the party and notices Neptune walking up to Weiss, with Airu not far behind.

* * *

Neptune approaches Weiss nervously as Airu follows behind, avoiding his attention. He hasn't seen her yet, but she wants to find out what he was walking to Weiss for. He had asked her where she was, and Airu answered, now she wanted to know what he wanted. "Hey," he starts, catching Weiss's attention, "Mind if I sit down?"

"I guess, but I am waiting for someone," replies Weiss. Neptune takes a seat next to Weiss while Airu watches from afar. She wants to go over there and blow up on him, but something is telling her to just listen first. "So, what do you want?"

"I want to apologize," responds Neptune.

"For what?"

"For turning you down. The reason is that... I can't dance. I know it's a stupid reason, but I felt embarrassed. I was really happy when you asked me, but I guess my pride took over for my heart. So, you want to start over and have a dance?" Weiss puts her hand over her heart with a wooed smile, before contorting it into a devilish grin.

"Nope," she quips, adding pop to the end, "I actually have a date now."

"What?!" Airu uses this as a chance to walk over to them. She now has a smile on her face, knowing that Weiss wasn't going to stand her up because Neptune apologized.

"Sorry, there was a line at the punch bowl," lies Airu as she sets a glass in front of Weiss, "I would've brought more, but I wasn't expecting a third person to accompany us. I am not Ren, either one of them."

"Thank you Airu," says Weiss. She takes a sip of her punch before setting it back down. "Neptune, this is my date to the dance. I am sure you two have already met." Neptune sits in shock. Not only did Weiss get a date after he turned her down, but it was with a girl.

"So, I guess that means it's time to go?" he asks, now a little demoralized.

"That would be best. After all, you wouldn't want the Roman Treatment, now would you?"

"The 'Roman Treatment?'" He shudders, knowing exactly what the harpy did to that man. Twice. Without saying another word, the blue haired womanizer stands up and practically runs away.

"Were you actually going to let me do that?" Airu asks, taking a seat when Neptune was.

"No, but I had to find a way to scare him off." The two laugh before going back to drink some punch. It grows quiet as the song ends. The lights dim as a much slower song begins to play. Couples start pairing up to dance to the song. Airu and Weiss look to each other, both embarrassed and nervous, before Airu stands up and walks in front of Weiss, her hand extended with her palm facing up.

"Would you care to dance?" she asks. Without thinking, the heiress takes it and rises as well.

"Why, I would love that." The two proceed to the dance floor and take position. Airu places her hand on Weiss's back and takes her hand, while Weiss just rests her hand on Airu's shoulder. They get started slowly, but the two begin to dance to the slow beat of the song. In perfect sync, the two move with grace across the dance floor. Airu twirls the heiress and the two lock eyes once more.

"I didn't know you could dance," observes Weiss.

"Another skill Mother taught me," replies Airu, "She wanted Lutt to learn when she was younger, and Mother was a bit tall compared to her. As a result, I was forced to learn to dance." Airu brings Weiss in closer and wraps her right arm around her while still holding hands. "I know how to lead…" The harpy spins Weiss back around allowing her to proceed outward, connecting only at the hand, before bringing her back as they resume their positions, "... and to follow."

"It seems your Mother was at least a little thoughtful."

"Yeah. If she wasn't such a bitch, maybe we would've gotten along better."

After a few spectacular minutes, the song ends. Airu leads Weiss back to their table as they hear Cardin snicker. They take a seat as the bully follows them and stands over the harpy. "Well, well, well," he taunts, "What are you doing at a place like this, bird brain?"

She attempts to control her temper as she responds, "I am enjoying this school dance with my date, just like everyone else."

"This girl is your date? You animals should only mate with each other. And besides, unless you have been hiding a dick this entire time, I am sure you won't be able to keep her entertained for very long."

Airu's eye twitches as she really tries to control her anger. "Why don't you leave us alone? I am sure that whatever cousin you brought with you isn't too happy to be here because you couldn't find a date." Cardin just laughs.

"Why eagle bitch..." Airu suddenly feels her wings yanked out of her dress and twisted. She looks behind her to see Russell and Sky grab a hold of her. She notices a silent scream coming from beside her. She notices Dove covering Weiss's mouth while Cardin has her hands behind her back. No one was looking at them. "I think I will just have some fun with your date instead. Don't worry, you can watch as much as you want."

The four lead them to one of the locked rooms and pick the lock. They push Weiss inside and to the ground and shut the door behind them. Cardin reaches above him and pulls the cord, bringing light to the supply closet they were in. Not much was in it now, the dance used up most of the supplies. "Now then Ice Queen, let's enjoy ourselves."

"You keep your hands off her?!" Airu growls. Cardin just laughs as the two twist her wings even more. She winces in pain from the familiar feeling, one she hasn't experienced in years, and her knees nearly buckle.

"I don't think you are in any position to talk, eagle slut." Cadin punches hard into Airu's gut, causing her to double over in pain, then shoot back up as her wings twist even farther. "It's taken me this long for my balls to come back down after what you did, and now I am ready to use them again. Plus, I get some revenge. Consider it killing two birds with one stone." Airu growls again. "Oh, was that too soon, well two bad." He punches again, this time in her face. She turns back as blood trickles down her nose.

"YOU WILL REGRET THAT!" The wind picks up as she yells. The room itself begins to shake as the wind begins to move rapidly around the room. Almost like blades, it begins to cut into Airu's capture's faces. The shock of blood causes them to lose their grip, but that is all she needed. She turns, punches Sky in the face and kicks Russell in the balls. The latter doubled over and Airu turns Sky around with another punch. The force knocks his belt loose and his pants fall down. Airu grabs Russell by the head, and manages to squeeze it between his teammate's cheeks. The sudden insert of his friend causes Sky to shoot his head up, only for it to meet Airu's fist under his chin.

The two stumble and fall over as one while Airu turns back to Cardin and Dove. The two, still in shock of everything, shake their heads as they turn to Airu. Dove goes first for a punch, but Airu ducks underneath and knees him in the gut. She turns her head to avoid a punch from Cardin while grabbing his arm. Twisting it and moving around his body, she manages to get on top of one of the shelves. She hops up and lands on the arm, driving it into the shelf with both legs and destroys it. The harpy drives Cardin's arm into the floor as she hears the satisfying sound of bones shattering in his arm. Cardin lays on the floor in pain, grasping his right arm as hard as he can. "Looks like you won't be needing you dick for a while anyways," she taunts.

"I'm a lefty!" he cries in pain. Dove tries to sneak up on her, but she turns around and lands a kick square in his face.

"Just be lucky I didn't chop off your dick, I already did that to a guy." Cardin looks up in horror as she stands over him. "Now, either you leave me, my date, and every other person you meet alone and treat them respect, or I can stay here and break the rest of your bones. I say I have around two hundred left to break, so it will take a while."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!"

"Well, since you are begging, I suppose." Cardin's face lights up, only to have the color drain away. He looks down to see her knee driven into his crotch. His stomach feels really weird as he slowly drops to the ground in unbearable pain. Satisfied, she looks over to see Weiss sitting on the floor, looking scared. "You okay?"

"Yeah… now," admits Weiss. Airu extends her hand and Weiss takes it. The harpy helps her up as she still shivers in fear.

"It's okay now, they got what was coming to them."

"I know, I was just scared. I can't believe they just tried to-" Weiss is unable to finish as she begins to cry into Airu's dress. "I thought they were going to hurt me. They had you in their hands, and I couldn't do anything. I just stood their in fear. I saw them hurting you and I couldn't do anything. I… I am sorry."

"It's not your fault. They had you held up too." Airu just runs her hand through the heiress's hair. "I just couldn't stand there and watch them hurt you. It scared me too. I think that is why my wind got so strong. It never got powerful enough to cut before, but if it hadn't… I am just glad you are okay." The two hug before looking around at the bullies Airu knocked out. "I may of went overboard."

"No, you did plenty. They probably deserve more, but I think we should go."

"Yeah. I'll walk you to your room."

"Thank you Airu." Airu turns to say something, but doesn't have a chance to. Before she can say a word, she is met with Weiss's face, and her lips touching hers. Surprised, Airu looks stunned but soon returns the favor to her. The two embrace each other for a moment, before stepping back, faces now shaded red.

"That was… pleasant," says Airu, trying to get her mind back together.

"Yeah, it was," adds Weiss, "We better get going. People will get the wrong idea if they saw us enter with those four for that long."

"I am pretty sure that," Airu points at Sky and Russell, the latter's head invisible due to being up his friend's ass, "will tell them all they need to know."

"Yeah. I don't want to be the one to treat that."

"I don't know, maybe when they pull him out, the stick up his ass will come with him." The two chuckle a bit before walking out, hands held together. They work their way through the crowd and leave the building, heading back to Beacon to Weiss's dorm.

* * *

 **Yeah, that happened.**

 **So, first off, why no NoRen Glain? I really didn't feel it worked, and it was really forced, so it won't happen. Plus, the joke of Ren and Ren gets old fairly quick, so I decided to stop it there, making Ren Glain a single man.**

 **Honestly, this was one of the harder chapters to write because of the heavy romance implied, and I suck at romance. I hope this is okay.**

 **Now, on to the last part. Yes, CRDL did try to do...that. I honestly got the idea from _Vault of the Vytal,_ in which they tried the same thing, but in a hallway where a literal psycho was, who went crazy and almost killed them. I was more, tame, in that they all had nothing that could kill them around. Yeah, don't mess with Airu, she kick your ass, balls, and face. Also, props to anyone who got the _Hancock_ reference during the fight. **

**And last, we have the announcement. So, as most of you may know, we have Volume 4 of RWBY beginning soon, and some of you are probably wondering where this story is going to go. I first want to let you know that I have a plan of where I am going after the Battle of Beacon, and that due to changes, the timeline will also change. This story, in all forms, will be AU Volume 4 and on. I may take inspiration from Volume 4, but the story will be different. This is my personal choice, so I hope you enjoy it, but we have another 27 or so chapters to go.**

 **Alright, I talked for long enough and probably made this thing like 4,000+ words, so have a good night, and I will see you all Friday with the true conclusion to the dance, or rather, the after party.**


	27. Chapter 26: Party Crashers

**Sorry, sorry, sorry. Don't kill me, I am still here. I was really, really busy yesterday and a lot of shit went down, so I had no time to edit this. I am sorry, but you guys are getting it now, so don't kill me.**

 **Alright dramatics aside, this chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, but that isn't that hard to do. Once me get to Volume 3, the chapters will be a bit longer, so bear with the short ones till then.**

 **Also, this is the halfway point of the story, in terms of the first 'book.' As I said last time, Volume 4 and on will be a separate story that will be coming out once this is over, and I am still working on Chapter 2 of that so I might give a little grace period.**

 **One last thing before I move on, for those of you who thought (no body left a review so I have no idea what you actually thought) the reference of shoving Russel's head up Sky's ass was from _Hancock_ , you would be right. Anyways, thank you guys for read, so sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Party Crashers**

Auron walks out onto the balcony. After talking with Yang, he decided to get some fresh air to clear his head. Still worried for Coco, he looks up to the broken moon and lets out a loud sigh. "Emotions like love sure don't suite you, Auron," comments a familiar voice from behind the guardian. Auron turns to see the blue-haired Seymour Guado standing behind him.

"Seymour!" calls Auron. "What are you doing here!"

"I came to see an old friend."

"Cut the crap!"

Seymour lightly chuckles. "Normally I would, but someone has put me a little on edge. I had the fiends contained, but their numbers have been dropping recently."

"That doesn't seem like its my problem."

"Oh, it isn't, but just know that now I wish for her to suffer. Her and that blasted mini-gun."

"Coco!" Auron cries, "What have you done to her!?"

"Oh ho ho, I have done nothing. She and her allies are just fine. In fact, they should be arriving tomorrow morning, though they will be quite tired. They managed to fend off fiends for two whole weeks, you should be proud. But for now, I shall take my leave."

"Seymour, when I find you again, I will kill you!"

The former maester lets out a hardy laugh as he turns to the moon. "Tell me Auron, is this Coco someone special to you?"

"I wouldn't tell you even if she was."

"Then I will make sure you can watch her die. It is quite poetic."

"I think the term you are looking for is 'sadistic.'" Seymour shrugs.

"Well I shall leave now, til the next time Auron." In the blink of an eye, he is gone. Auron looks around in horror, before running back inside. He tries for the exit, but runs into Yang. The two crash and fall over onto the ground.

"I guess that means you fell head over heels for me," jokes Yang.

"Shut up." The two get up as Auron catches his breath.

"What's up? You look like you saw a ghost."

"It's Seymour. He showed up on the balcony." Yang's expression quickly changes to one of worry.

"What did he say?"

"That Coco engaged his fiends, killed quite a few of them and managed to get away. They should be here tomorrow morning. Also, he wants revenge."

"Well, we aren't going to let that happen, are we?"

"No, which is why I need to get home. I will see you tomorrow." Auron turns and walks away, leaving Yang alone once more.

"Good luck." she says, watching Auron practically run out the door.

* * *

Ruby and Ren Glain continue towards the air docks on their way back to Beacon. Ruby looks up into the night sky and notices something on the rooftops. The figure begins running. "Ren, follow me," she orders as she follows the figure.

"Why, what for?" Ren asks.

"I think I saw someone on the rooftops. It might have something to do with a robbery."

"Alright, let's go." The two begin running. Soon, they reach the CCT building. The two look around to see guards knocked out across the ground.

"This is bad," comments Ruby. She pulls out her scroll and summons her locker. Inside is her scythe, Crescent Rose. Ren reaches into his jacket and pulls out a single pistol, then a silencer that he places on the barrel. The two nod and proceed into the building.

Weapons raised, the two look around, checking for any hostiles, before getting into the elevator. The two ride the elevator up to the top floor. When the doors open, they notice the computers all have the same symbol, a white queen chess piece. Using a silent signal, Ren motions Ruby forward. "Hello," he calls, "You can come out now, we know you are here." From behind one of the computers, a young woman rises. She is dressed in a black leather bodysuit with a masquerade mask on.

Seeing the criminal, Ren raises his gun and points at her. At the same time, she raises a glass bow with an arrow pulled back. Ren asks,"Now, would you be so kind as to remove your mask? This isn't a masquerade ball."

"Why, that would ruin the surprise," calmly replies the masked woman. "Why don't you tell me who you are first."

"While you lack the logic and awareness of the situation, I shall tell you. I am a man of many names, but you can call me Bond, James Bond."

"But you-" Ruby starts, but Ren quickly interrupts her.

"Are the most magnificent spy to ever live, so why do I have such an ordinary name. That will be a story for another time, little Scarlet. Now, you best drop your weapon before I am forced to shoot." The elevator rings behind them, distracting Ruby and Ren for half a seconds, but that is all the woman needed. She fires an arrow tipped with an ice Dust Crystal at the duo that Ren shoots out of instinct. The Dust explodes into a misty cloud, allowing the criminal to escape.

When it finally clears up, Ren and Ruby droop in defeat as the criminal got away. They turn around to find an older man, well built, and in a white suit aproach them. "Do you two want to explain to me what is going on here?" he asks in a threatening voice.

"Certainly, white suit," begins Ren, "I was escorting this young woman home from the dance as we both had no dates when she noticed a figure uptop the buildings. Acting on her pure instincts, she lead me to the CCT, where we found the guards on the ground, most likely knocked out by said figure using very stealthy movements. Then, we took the elevator up to this very floor, where upon arriving, we saw the computers flashing like so. I had a hunch that the criminal was still here, so I called them out. The young woman and I were in a standoff, to which she had a glass bow, when she asked for my name. I gave her a fake name, James Bond, and proceeded to question her to no avail. What I assume was your arrival distracted long enough for her to fire an ice tipped arrow, which I shot on instinct and it created an icy mist. Once it cleared, we drooped in defeat and turned to you, and explained everything that happened."

"That was… way too dramatic," states white suit, "Come with me." The man leads them to the elevator and like soldiers, and they follow his orders. The three discuss more in private on the way down, before they are sent back home.

* * *

Ruby manages to make it home, to find Airu comforting a shivering Weiss. "What happened?" she asks.

"She is still a little shaken up from earlier," Airu replies. Ruby notices bits of dirt covering her dress, as well as a couple of tears. A drop of blood is also seen on her white dress.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she…" Airu looks to Weiss, who nods her head, "Cardin and his teammates attempted to… violate Weiss. They closed us in a supply closet and had me by the wings." Ruby covers her mouth in horror, fearing the worst for her teammate. "Cardin punched me a few times before he tried to go after her. I managed to use my wind control to slash Russell and Sky, knocked out Dove with a punch, shattered Cardin's right arm and sent his balls right back up into his body. Also Russell's head was shoved up Sky's ass."

"Oh my!"

"I was able to stop them before they tried anything else, but Weiss is still a little shaken up about it. To be honest, I was scared too. But we made it out in one piece." Airu hugs Weiss a little tighter. "I should probably get going, I need rest for the mission tomorrow." The harpy lets go, but Weiss grabs her hand. Turning about around, she looks to the heiress, practically begging.

"Please… stay here tonight," she requests. Airu looks over to Ruby, who still looks in horror over what she heard happen. Snapping out of it, Ruby realizes the unspoken question and nods.

Airu turns back to Weiss. "Yeah, I can do that for you. I will send Auron a message to bring over my clothes and pajamas." Auron arrives a few minutes later with clothes for the morning and her pajamas. She looks to the guardian, noticing worry in his eyes.

"What is is?" she asks.

"Seymour," he replies.

"We are heading to May Springs then. That is where Coco went, that is where we are going. If he said something to you, then there is something there that he doesn't want found. We will talk in the morning about it." Ruby and Weiss try to listen in to their conversation, but everything was confusing for them.

"Why are you staying here?"

"Weiss, is trying to wind down after tonight. She asked me to stay for the night."

"Okay, well, goodnight." Auron turns and walks back to his dorm. Airu turns to see the heiress and her leader already changed into their sleepwear and proceeds to the bathroom to change. As she steps in, the door opens to Blake and Yang walking in.

"Hey Ruby!" she calls, "Nothing bad happened between you and Ren Glain, right?"

"Yeah, everything was great," replies Ruby, "Until we failed at catching another criminal."

"Oh come on! Every time I turn around you end up getting in some fight with a criminal."

"This was less of a fight as it was a chance for Ren to act over dramatic. Plus we met General Ironwood, and he wants to talk to me and him in the morning."

"Oh, okay." Yang looks over to Weiss, still sitting up and shivering. "Is her frozen heart finally freezing her from the inside?"

"No, actually it was Cardin." Ruby explains what Airu told her to Yang and Blake, who both have the same expression Ruby had.

"That bastard!" exclaims Yang.

"At least Airu made him pay," adds Blake. Then they notice the shower turn off. "Wait, who was in the shower? You two are here, Yang and I just got here, and I saw Auron walk away, so it wasn't him." Almost on cue, Airu walks out of the shower in just a towel around her body, her wet hair falling down to her shoulders. The harpy looks around as Yang and Blake stare at her.

"Uhh, hi?" Airu greets, unsure of what to do. The two stare at her a little more. "Okay...Ruby, can you hand me my pajamas? I will change in the bathroom since these two are starring?" As asked, Ruby gives Airu her sleepwear and steps back in the bathroom.

"Uhh, why is Airu taking a shower in our bathroom?" Yang asks.

"Weiss is still a little shaken up and asked Airu to stay here for the night," answers Ruby. Yang smiles devilishly as a thought runs through her head.

"I see, so apart from Cardin, things went well enough to go straight to bed for you two. Didn't think you were that type of girl, Weiss." Weiss starts waving her hands in front of her face.

"No, no, no, it's not like that I swear," defends the heiress.

"Alright, if you say so."

"So where will she sleep?" asks Blake, "It is not like she will have room on the floor."

Weiss looks down to hide her blushing face. "I don't know. I guess she can double up with me."

"And you said it wasn't like that," laughs Yang. Weiss looks down in embarrassment. "Oh come on, I am just rustling your feathers." Blake and Ruby just facepalm.

Airu, however, is a bit more vocal. "Yang, when I get my pants on, I am coming over there and kicking your ass for that one!"

"Oh, you're _coming_ already?!" The bathroom door flies off the hinges as Airu stands in the opening with her foot out stretched.

"Get over here you blonde bitch!" Airu charges at Yang, who sidesteps the charge. The two chase each other around the room as Weiss cracks a small smile again.

"You doing better?" Blake asks Weiss.

"A little," the heiress replies, "I'll be fine tomorrow, don't worry."

"If you say so." The two look to Yang and Airu, the latter sitting on the blonde's back practically choking Yang with her own leg. The blonde taps out and Airu releases the hold. "Were two jokes worth all that?"

"Coming from Yang, yeah," Airu replies with a smile, "You don't know how long that took to do without touching her hair." Airu looks around the room as Yang walks into the bathroom. "So where should I sleep?"

Weiss just pats her bed. "Right here is fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, plus we don't want to step on your wings in the morning."

Airu lets out a sigh, but turns it back into a smile. "Alright, Ice Queen, whatever her majesty wishes."

"Just shut up and get in the bed." Weiss tries to be mad, but can't help but chuckle at the harpy. The heiress lies down and Airu climbs in next to her, wings folded up behind her. Quickly, Ruby shuts off the lights, leaving Blake alone to wait for the shower while the others, minus Yang, drift off to sleep.

Deciding to read a little, the cat Faunus undos her bow and opens up her copy of 'Ninja's of Love.' As she opens it, she notices Airu looking at her. "Really, now," Airu comments, "I didn't know you of all people had such an, eccentric, taste in books." Blake raises her book in front of her face to hide her embarrassment. Airu laughs before she turns over, and tries to sleep.

* * *

 **Alright, not much else to say here. I will make sure the next chapter is up on time on Tuesday, so until then, stay alive.**


	28. Chapter 27: New Mission

**Alright guys, another Tuesday, another chapter.**

 **Now that the dance is over, that was practically five chapters of romance and no action, we can finally start the mission/breach arc.**

 **Also special thanks to Slisor for the favorite over the weekend, you mean so much to me.**

 **Anyways, I believe it is time to start, so sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 27: New Mission**

The next morning, Airu wakes up to find Weiss with her arm around the harpy. Before she can freak out, she remembers what happened last night, and where she is. Carefully moving her arm, Airu gets out of bed and changes in the bathroom. She notices as she walks out that Ruby's bed is empty. Figuring she got up early, she shrugged and walked out of RWBY's dorm and to her own.

Airu opens her door to Auron putting on his red haori while Tidus adjusts his gauntlet. "Hey guys," she says.

"Hey Airu," responds Tidus, "Have fun with Weiss?"

Airu rolls her eyes. "Whatever, I'll tell you later." She looks over to Ren's bed, only to find it empty. "Uhh, where is Ren?"

"He left about an hour ago," responds Auron, "He said something about Ozpin wanting to speak with him. Apparently he and Ruby tried to stop someone who broke into the CCT, but she got away. Also he called himself James Bond."

"I knew I should've never let him watch those spy movies. Do you know when he will be back?"

"I'm back!" sings Ren as he bursts the door open.

"Speak of the devil," comments Tidus. The dream's scroll goes off with a message from Rage. I hear that. Tidus looks at his scroll confused before he put it away.

"What did you tell Ozpin?" Auron asks.

"Nothing new, though Ruby mentioned the base in the southeast."

"Smart," adds Airu, "She put the idea in their head while at the same time, not revealing how she truly got it." A knock on the door catches everyone's attention. Airu decides to get it, opening the door to reveal Ruby standing with a package wrapped in a green cloth.

"Hi," says Ruby.

"Hi, what's with the cloth?"

"Oh, this. It is for Auron and Tidus. My dad sent this with the package for us. He said this was from a friend of my Uncle Qrow, but that he never met him."

"Alright, I will give it to them."

"Thanks." Ruby turns and walks back to her room as Airu turns with the gift for Auron and Tidus.

"What do you think it is?" Tidus asks, "And who does their uncle know?"

"It can't be Seymour, he wouldn't send us anything," observes Auron. He takes the cloth from Airu and begins to unwrap it. His eyes widen as he removes the cloth. In his hand is a large black blade with four smaller blades in a rounded 'X' near the guard. The end splits into two curved blades with a slit down the middle of the sword. "It can't be. This is Masamune!"

"Masamune?" Ren asks.

"Yes, it is one of the celestial weapons from our world, but what is it doing here?" Auron then notices something else still in the cloth. The first is a stone with a hollow hole the shape of a sun. The next, is a golden sun. "And why is there a Sun Sigil and a Sun Crest? Wait, Tidus, remove all the water from your blade."

"Alright?" Tidus responds, wondering what he is planning. Doing as his friend asks, he removes the water from his blade to reveal the blue steel underneath. At the base of the hilt is a small hole, the size of the stone. Auron places the sigil in first, then the crest. A bright light surrounds the blade as it begins to change shape. The light subsides as the blue steel changes, looking more jagged and deadly.

Everyone looks in awe at Tidus's new blade, then they notice what looks to be a tank attached to his back. It isn't bulky, and moves with his body, but is filled with water, possible from the blades former form. "What is that?" asks Airu as she stares at the sword.

"Caladbolg, another of the Celestial Weapons," responds Auron, "Whoever sent these is from Spira, which means that someone we know is here, but who?" Before they have a chance to think, the intercom begins to ring through the school as Glynda telling all first years to report to the amphitheater. Team AART all nod to each other as they walk out of their room, all dressed for combat.

Auron and Tidus are still carrying their weapons as Team RWBY step out of their room. Weiss looks to be feeling better and more confident than the night before, Yang and Ruby look very happy, and Blake looks the same. Ruby looks at the new weapons and starts jumping in excitement. "Ohmygosh, those are so cool!" she squeals, "Where did you get those?!"

"Our package," responds Tidus.

"It seems your uncle knows someone from Spira," adds Auron, "And they know us well. I wonder who though."

"What are they called?" asks Weiss, who is surprisingly curious as well.

"Mine is Masamune, and based on how it works it Spira, it should be stronger the more damage I take."

"So, it is like my Semblance?" asks Yang.

"Yes and no. While I do get stronger as my Aura drops, if it were to drop to about ten percent, the power becomes nearly triple my normal strength. The only drawback is that while full Aura, I am only half as powerful."

"That is quite unique," comments Weiss, "What about you Tidus?"

"Auron told me that it is called Caladbolg," admits Tidus, "Apparently my old blade reacted with the Sun Sigil and Sun Crest found with his sword and changed it into this. My water is now on my back in a strangely flexible tank."

"It also has a similar effect," adds Auron, "But to a lesser extent, and he is not weakened when at full Aura levels."

"Wow," says Ruby, "You guys look so much cooler with those weapons. Whoever sent those must really like you guys."

"Maybe, we should get going though."

"Right, let's go get a mission." The two teams begin heading towards the amphitheater.

* * *

Team AART manage to sit through Ozpin's speech about the importance of missions and the kingdoms uniting in a time of peace. Now they look around for a mission. Airu looks at some of the combat based ones and finds one located at May Springs. "Over here guys!" she calls to her team. They make their way to the harpy. "I think this is it."

"What does it say?" Auron asks.

"'Location: May Springs. Type: Recon/Search & Destroy. Details: Strange creatures have been appearing in the forest nearby. Some have attacked, but were defeated easily. They release lights upon death and have more intelligence than most Grimm. Investigation and possible elimination is requested of these creatures.' Does that sound like fiends, Auron?"

"Yes. Accept the mission."

"Alright." Airu presses the accept button on the terminal, but a message appears on the screen. "'Must be third year or higher to accept mission.' What the Hell? Why is it even here then?"

"Because due to recent reports, the threat level has been raised," answers Ozpin, appearing behind the team, "We haven't had the time to remove this mission from the list yet."

"We need to go there," demands Auron.

"I am sorry, but-" Ozpin tries to speak, but stops as Auron grabs his collar with his right hand.

"I know what these creatures are! I know how to defeat them! I demand that we go there! You said it yourself that you knew we weren't from this world, well neither are these fiends! Tidus and I have more experience with them that even your professors! You send anyone else into that place, and they won't survive!" Auron pants as he sets Ozpin down. "From what your report said, your team only dealt with the weaker species. I can promise you that no one you know would be able to fight against the fiends that may soon follow. That one at the docks, that wasn't even scratching the surface."

Ozpin, looking at the guardian with a cold stare, pulls out his tablet and pushes a few buttons. Airu turns back to the terminal to find the restriction has disappeared. Airu hits the accept button, and the mission becomes registered by Team AART. "You better know what you are doing Auron," he states, "Because I am coming with you." The team looks in shock at the headmaster had just said.

"What?" Airu asks.

"I said I am coming with you. There isn't any professors available anyways, so I have to step up. We leave in three hours. Gather your gear and meet me at the air docks." Ozpin turns and leaves.

As he walks away, he notices Glynda staring at him, arms crossed and her foot tapping. "What was that?" she asks, "That student threatened you and you did nothing."

Ozpin shakes his head as he takes a sip of his coffee that appeared in his hand. "I am afraid you misunderstood. Auron was merely informing me that he knew more about the mission than others would. All I did was unlock it for them…," He takes another sip as he looks Glynda in the eyes, "... And agree to join them." Before she can respond, Ozpin walks away from her, leaving her in shock.

* * *

Team AART walk outside to the dock. They still had an hour, but they wanted to see RWBY off. Ruby and Yang talk with Auron and Tidus about their new weapons, Ren Glain makes some adjustments and checks his ammo and Dust levels, Blake reads a little on the bench, and Airu and Weiss talk on the bench next to her. "So, where are you guys heading?" Weiss asks.

"May Springs," Airu replies, "It is where Coco and them were sent."

Weiss raises an eyebrow. "I thought only third years and up could take that?"

"Auron 'convinced' Ozpin, and now he is the one taking us."

Weiss chokes on air and coughs in surprise. "Wait! You guys are going with Ozpin?"

Airu shrugs as Weiss regains her composure. "Yeah, I wonder where you guys are heading?"

"Quadrant 5. It is the southeast, so it gives us the chance to look for the White Fang."

"I see, so we won't be too far. If you guys need back-up, let me know, okay."

"You better do the same." The two giggle a little, but a running student catches their attention.

"Hey!" he shouts, "Team CFVY is back!" Team AART and Team RWBY quickly make their way to the airship landing. The door opens as Team CFVY steps out. Coco notices Auron and runs to him with a massive hug. Velvet walks to Blake, who is standing next to him

"Velvet, are you okay?" Blake asks. Auron and Coco let go of each other and look to them.

"I'm fine," replies Velvet, "There were just so many, and I didn't recognize most of them."

"Did you get any pictures of them?" Auron asks, noticing the camera on her back.

"Yeah, why?"

"I need a copy of each one sent to my scroll as soon as possible. My team is heading over there in an hour."

"Are you crazy!?" Coco asks as she slaps Auron, "We were gone for two weeks and you think you guys can handle what we went through there? Please, don't fight those things. They are not like anything you have seen."

"Actually, I have seen everyone of them." Coco and Velvet look in shock at what he said.

"What?" they ask in unison.

"The strange lights, the fact they are not Grimm, everything. Tidus and I know how to defeat them, which is why I need those pictures to show Ozpin on the trip over there. Please Velvet, I need those pictures."

"I will get them for you right away," agrees Velvet before she runs off.

"You better not die out there," commands Coco.

"I don't plan on it. I was worried about you. I am so glad you are safe." Before she could respond, Auron pulls her into another hug.

"Thanks, Old Man." He finally lets go after a minute.

"You should get some rest."

"Alright, but be careful, those things are a bitch to kill. Especially those cactus fuckers."

"I will. And those Cactuar are very annoying." Auron kisses her forehead before he lets her go back to the school. He looks over to Tidus, currently talking talking with Team JNPR, before giving Pyrrha a hug for luck. Ren Glain stands off to the side as he watches Airu and Weiss talk a bit before doing the same. Team RWBY gathers again as they speak with JNPR, now joined with Sun and Neptune, as the rest of Team AART regroup.

"You guys ready?" Airu asks.

"More than ever," claims Ren Glain.

"You know it," cheers Tidus.

"I feel much better knowing Coco is here," admits Auron, "Now I can truly focus." They turn and watch as RWBY boards the airship with Professor Oobleck.

"I feel bad for them," says Airu. The rest of her team nods.

"Ahh, good, everyone is here," observes Ozpin, now standing behind them, "And I see CFVY has returned, that is good news. Did you get a chance to speak with them about their mission?"

"I did, I should be getting images of what they encountered from Velvet soon," replies Auron, "I will explain to you what we are up against when we board the ship."

"Good, I feel that will be best." Everyone nods as they turn and wait for their ship.

* * *

 **Alright, so I know you all will have questions about Masamune and Caladblog. First of all, they are Spirian weapons, so they still have the properties of the games, but Tidus's has the extra effect of the water because it was infused into Brotherhood, which has adapted to Remnant's environment. In summery, Tidus's celestial weapon gives him water for his Semblance, since most of it is kept on him at all times anyways. And because Spirian weapons effect the wielder as well, they will get the benefits of their Aura levels for their weapons. I know I switched Caladblog, but it would not have worked for climatic battles if Tidus was almost dying and his sword couldn't cut paper, so I made it a weaker version of Masamune.**

 **Is there anything else I can say, let me look. Nope, spoilers. Nope, unconfirmed plans. Oh, I can talk about this.**

 **So, Volume 4 of RWBY. I know I said it was going to be an AU, and it still will be here, but I may still incorporate elements from the new season into my writing. How exactly it will, I don't know. If this story does finish before it ends, I will wait til about a month after the finale to post the next story. That gives me time to make any edits to what I already have done and how it will play into the plot later.**

 **With all that being said, have a nice week, and I will see you all on Friday.**


	29. Chapter 28: May Springs

**Alright guys, it's Friday so that means its time for a new chapter. It's a good thing I type this in Google Docs, because I have to type my ANs a second time thanks to the site logging me out randomly and not letting me save my work.**

 **Enough of me ranting though, you guys want a story. First, special thanks to blaberous for the follow and favorite of this story, it does mean a lot so thank you.**

 **Now, it's time you all to just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 28: May Springs**

Ozpin sits across from Auron and Tidus as they explain the different fiends to Ozpin based of the images. Auron shows him a picture of what looks to be a wolf with brown fur. "This is a Dingo, a member of the Lupine family" Auron begins, "They are nimble creatures, making it hard to hit for someone who is a little slower. Other variations of Lupines can inflict status effects like petrification, silence, poison, etc." He slides the screen to show a green lizard looking creature. "Similar to them is the Reptile family, which as you can guess, have appearances like this. Back in Spira, Tidus specialized in taking enemies like this down due to his speed

"Next we will talk about those with armored bodies." Auron slides the screen to show a short fiend with two shield-like arms and blue crystals growing out of it's back. "Helms, are short in stature, but can defend agianst a lot of damage unless you can pierce their armor. They rely on physical attacks, but some can spray poison. Also, if Dust is anything like magic, even using an element they are weak against, you are better off not using it against them." He swipes to the left again, showing are much stronger looking reptile creature. "Drakes on the other hand are capable of using elemental breath attacks while having the same defensive buffs the Helms have. Creatures like these were my specialty, as my blade can pierce their armor without much trouble.

"I would show you more, but I am thinking we are getting close to our destination. If we encounter any, I will provide a brief summary and how to kill them."

"Thank you, Auron," says Ozpin, "That provides a lot of in sight. When we get back, I would like you to create a database of these creatures if it is not too much trouble."

"Alright, that seems fair. Afterall, if the fiends do decide to do decide to attack Beacon, the students need to know how to fight them."

"I couldn't agree more."

* * *

The ship lands, letting Team AART and Ozpin leave. They look around at the new scenery. May Springs is a rather large forest filled with lush, green, and healthy trees. Scattered throughout the forest are numerous hot springs, as well as small ponds for the animals to get clean water, if it weren't for the fact the Grimm killed them all. The group stand in the clearing they landed in, preparing for their next move. "So, Ozpin," Airu begins, "What was CFVY's mission exactly?"

"They were tasked with defending the nearby village from a recent growth of Grimm," he replies, "Apparently the Grimm had been defeated when they got there, based on their reports, and they mainly focused on small packs. After exploring a bit, they began to notice more and more of the so called fiends appear. Based on what they said, they were holed up in an abandoned cottage for about two weeks."

"How far is the cottage from the village, and how far are we?"

"It was two miles north of the village, and we are a mile and a half in the same direction."

"Alright, then I think we know what the plan is then?" Ren asks, cocking his pistol.

"Yes, we first investigate the cottage, see if there is anything we can find there first," replies Ozpin, "From there, we continue investigating on what exactly happened on their mission." The team nods in agreement and they begin walking North.

After about twenty minutes, they find a cottage matching the description left by CFVY. They walk inside the open door and look around. Tables were turned, trash, glass, and empty food can litter the floor. Dirt and dust gathered everywhere, and there was one broken window by which the floor was covered with empty golden shells.

"It looks like they were here," observes Ozpin, "Based on the bullets, they were holding them off with Coco's gun."

"Yeah, but she probably had trouble dealing with the Elements and the Flans," adds Tidus, "Those guys have incredible defense and usually require using magic, or in this case Dust, of the opposite element to even do damage."

"You spoke of _magic_ before, how exactly does it work?"

"Well," begins Auron, "It usually requires training in which you must learn the spell and be able to conjure it with your mind. Mages with limited training usually have to say the spell's name, but if one is strong enough, they don't have to. Most Black Magic, magic used for attacking, is contained within four elements; Fire, Water, Ice, Lightning. Each have usually three levels you can learn, with the -ra and -aga suffix, signifying its level.

"What about Aero and Cure?" asks Airu. Surprised at her knowledge, Auron raises an eyebrow.

"While they are magic spells, they are usually considered white magic, but they do follow the same rules in this case. Back to what I was saying, the four elements have their weaknesses. Fire and Ice are weak to each other, as with Water and Lightning. It is important to note that Ice magic begins with the Blizzard spell, while Lightning begins with Thunder, but still follow the level system in terms of suffixes."

"But wouldn't Water and Ice be considered the same?" asks Ozpin.

"Unfortunately, no. As for why, I have no idea. I really have no magic talent, so I am just giving my knowledge."

"Alright, that is good to know. Do we have means of taking care of them ourselves?"

"From what I gather, yes," responds Ren, "Airu uses Fire and Ice Dust in her butterfly swords, as well as Lightning Dust in her rapier. I also have those available in my pistols"

"Plus I can control water with my hydrokinesis," adds Tidus, "Which I always make sure I have a supply of."

"I see you all are prepared then. We better head out then." Ozpin pulls out a compass and turns toward the window. "Looks like the fiends were coming from the east. We should get moving if we want to find out where they are coming from." Everyone again nods in agreement as they all climb through the window.

As they walk down the path, they notice trees with scratch marks, frostbite, bullet holes, and tiny black needles. Bullets litter the ground, making it look more like a warzone than a forest. The group takes a minute to look around when they notice a faint cry coming from deeper in. It grew louder as everyone, with the exception of Ozpin, readies their weapons. From over the hill, they notice a small group of fiends approaching. There were five standard Dingos, seven Condors. three Shreds, and five Flame Flans.

"Alright students, time to show me what you can do!" exclaims Ozpin as they charge the fiends.

"Auron, I will let you take the lead," says Airu, "What do we do?"

"Alright. Airu, take care of the Condors quickly. No elemental weaknesses, so use whatever method you want to kill them. Ren, I need you firing Ice shots at the Flans, Airu join him when you are done. Tidus will take care of the Dingos. I will take care of the Shreds. Attack!" Team AART splits up as they move to attack the fiends.

Airu takes to the air and draws her butterfly swords. No waiting for her fellow fliers to attack, she unleashes a spinning slash into the group. Her blades cut through two like butter as she comes out the other side. On instinct, she pulls her wings in to avoid two lunging attacks from the Condors. She sends a wave of fire to both of her attackers that manages to sever their bodies. She turns back to the remaining three as she switches to her rapier. The center one charges her and she simply flips over the attack, sending a lighting bolt to the other two, killing them.

Ren rolls to avoid the incoming Firaga balls coming from the Flans. He fires a couple of shots at the group, but they don't do much damage. The ice helps, but the physical damage of the bullet limits what he can do. He jumps and flips over another two as he places his left gun in a holster and pulls out a vial of white Dust. Triggering his Semblance, he begins to form a grenade in that hand. "I hope this works," he mutters as the grenade cover the Dust vial inside. He avoids another blast and tosses the bomb forward. It lands in between four of the Flans as he shoots the bomb with his drawn pistol. An explosion of ice erupts from the bomb, that consumes the four around it. When the ice clears, only one remains.

Tidus leaps to the side to avoid the swipe of a Dingo before slashing another, taking it's head. Avoiding a lunging attack, Tidus turns to the four fiends as he feel a strange energy course through his body. Knowing the sensation from before, he looks to the fiends as he crouches. "Too late to beg for mercy!" chants Tidus and the energy begins to emanate from his body. "Slice and Dice!" Not wasting anytime, the dream charges forward and slashes the left-middle one in the side before turning and decapitates the far right one. He turns back around and bisects the next one over before turning and making another wound on the left-middle Dingo. With one last fluid motion, Tidus slashes through same Dingo, piecing its heart.

The dream looks to Auron to find his opponents on the ground as they leave a trail of pyreflies behind. Turning back, he notices the last remaining Flan, Dingo, and Condor standing in front of him. Feeling the same feeling again, he reenters the crouched position. His eyes turn to the Flan. "Eenie!" he chants as he turns his eyes to the Condor, "Meenie!" His gaze shifts once more, now to the Dingo. "Miney!" The dream closes his eyes before snapping them back open while chanting, "Moe!" Tidus feels the energy emanate from his body as he sprints towards the Dingo. Using it as a springboard, he leaps back and like magic, suspends himself in air while his sword charges energy. "Energy Rain!" He shouts, swings his sword down and sends small rays of energy into the ground at the feet of the fiends. Landing, Tidus turns to the group while taunting the fiends with, "See ya!"

"Are you not goi-" Ozpin begins before an explosion from the ground erupts under the fiends and sends them into the air. Upon landing, the fiend instantly begin emanating pyreflies.

"You were saying," Tidus replies with a cocky smirk. Auron walks over with the rest of the team.

"So, you have been regaining your Overdrives as well," Auron observes.

"Yeah, third one I have relearned."

"Same, looks like some of our old abilities are unlocking themselves." Ozpin hears this and raises an eyebrow.

"Care to explain?" asks the headmaster. Auron turns to answer.

"Overdrives are abilities Tidus and I possessed in Spira. They were more powerful than most attacks and sometimes delivered status effects. One example of such is my 'Banishing Blade,' which inflicts all four effects of my Semblance, 'Breaker,' at once. The one you saw is 'Energy Rain,' which causes explosions under an opponent's feet."

"So with attacks like those, there has to be some limit to them. Am I correct to assume this?"

"Yes. There is usually a recharge time. It is variable, but it restores during battle."

"Meaning the more you fight, the more you use it?" Ozpin asks.

"Correct." Airu and Ren listen in, having heard the explanation for the first time. Airu had already seen the attack Auron mentioned, but it still feels nice to hear why.

"We should probably continue on," suggests Airu, "We don't have all day to discuss attacks." Everyone nods in agreement as they turn and continue on.

"Be alert," reminds Ozpin, "There are going to be a lot more fiends, which means a lot more fighting. I want to see what you all can do, so I will only fight if there is no other option." Team AART walks on, looking around as Ozpin follows, knowing it will be a long night.

* * *

Roman Torchwick sits alone, reading the newspaper in his office. He and the White Fang are currently loading a train with explosives as they prepare to send hoards of Grimm into Vale in two weeks. His… torch, is fixed once more, but the doctors say that anymore damage will result in it having to be removed. Now he wears some armor to protect his organ underneath his suit.

His attention is taken from his reading as the door to his office is knocked. "What now?!" he complains, opening the door. The White Fang member stands in front of him with round glasses sitting on top of his mask.

"Um, sorry to disturb you sir," stutters the faunus, "But we found something you might want to see."

"Is it good or bad? I have had a day, so it better be good Perry."

"It is a girl in a red hood."

"That would be bad." Roman rubs his eyes. "Give me a minute, I have to make a call." Perry walks off as Roman pulls out his scroll and puts it by his ear.

" _Hello, Seymour speaking._ "

"We have a problem."

" _I see. How does this this effect the plan."_

"Get your fiends in position now, we might have to go into Vale early."

" _And why is that?"_

"Little Red has arrived."

" _I will position my fiends now."_

"Good, I will let you know if plans change."

" _Alright, do take caution."_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not like eagle bitch is here to cut my dick off. Just get your job done." Before Seymour can respond, Roman hangs up and looks back to the open door. "This is the greatest fucking day in the world!" he exclaims in sarcasm before walking out as well.

* * *

 **Alright, not much to say. Most of everything was explained in the chapter, so be ready for the next one. I will see you all Tuesday, so have a good weekend.**


	30. Chapter 29: A Train to Catch

**Sorry about the wait guys. I meant to upload this around 1:00, but when I went to edit this I added a much longer scene to the beginning. Mainly just more backstory on Airu, but I felt that it is important. We are nearing chapter 30, so I may do a special for next Tuesday in celebration. Can't say what it is, but it will be good.**

* * *

 **Chapter 29: Catching a Train**

Team AART and Ozpin make their way through the forest of the May Springs, fending off countless waves of fiends. To Auron's surprise, they only had to deal with the weaker fiends. This also worries him, wondering what Seymour really has plans for. It is night now, and everyone was sitting around a campfire, eating some food and taking short naps before they head out again.

Auron, Tidus, and Ren are asleep as Airu and Ozpin are on watch. Ozpin turns to the young harpy and says, "You did a great job today."

"Thank you," replies Airu, "But it was Auron who really led the team today."

"But it was you who put him in charge." Airu raises an eyebrow, and Ozpin catches this gesture. "You recognized the fact that he knew more, and that he could instruct them better, so you let him take charge. As a leader, it is your job to lead your team, that much you know. But a leader can't know everything, can't know how to escape every situation. Your team relies on you, but you rely on them as well. It takes a great leader to lead their team, it takes an even better one to allow someone else to do so when they cannot. It also means you and your team respect one another enough to follow orders, no matter who gives them in the situation.

"I have seen teams that have crumbled because of many reasons. The leader's ego becomes too great, teammates follow the leader blindly, the team doesn't trust their leader, or everyone thinks they are leader and fight over control. Your team is full of leaders, but what separates your team from the others is respect. You all recognize the fact that every member has their strengths and weaknesses, and you build off that. As a team, you all understand that you won't know everything, but someone else might know something. It is one of the rarest traits to have, so a team with four people who have it makes you a strong team."

"I think we all know, even without telling each other directly, that all of our pasts weren't easy. We understand everyone has gone through more shit than most to get here today. I think that is where the respect comes from. Auron and Tidus lived in a land where everyone was in constant fear and sorrow, but they brought it to an end. Ren and I, have a history we are trying to recover from. We understand it and that allows us to push forward, no matter who leads."

"Well said." Ozpin looks back to the rest of the team. "You are all the woman RagingKey made you out to be." Airu turns to the headmaster with while raising her eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Strong, fearless, a leader, and someone who understands sorrow. Even without his warning, I could tell you have suffered a great deal. Your eyes tell me the darkness you are fighting within yourself." Airu lets out a long drawn out sigh.

"Then you know my story then, what I went through on the Isle?"

"Not really, he never told me what you experienced, just that he wanted me to keep an eye on you."

"Cryptic as ever I see."

Ozpin chuckles slightly. "That he is." Silence follows before Ozpin speaks up again. "He cares for you a lot."

"I guess. He's probably the closest thing I ever had to a parent in all honesty, or at least one that cared about me. Maybe uncle is a better word." She lets out another sigh. "He spared my life, even though I took so many. There is more blood on my hands than even yours, Ozpin."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Ten thousand lives. I am responsible for ten thousand lives."

"Just because you couldn't protect them-"

"I _killed_ them!" A few small Nevermore fly from the nearby trees at the sudden increase of sound. "I personally ended their lives with my own hands. I couldn't protect them from myself!" Tears roll down her face as Airu falls to the her butt and sobs into her hands. Ozpin squats down a puts a hand on her shoulder.

"You carry a heavy burden on your shoulders. This guilt, regret, pain, it's bringing you down. You wear a mask to hide your pain from those around you, especially those you love. But behind closed doors, you cry out in pain, waiting for someone to come and forgive you. I just hope they come before you finally break." Airu takes a few deep breaths before taking her hands from her face to look up at Ozpin.

"Why do you fight?" The harpy tilts her head to the side in confusion. "I usually ask students why the become Hunters when they are out here on their first mission. You guys are a special case, so I'll ask a special question. Why do you fight?"

Airu reaches to her side and draws her rapier, holding it so the moonlight reflects off it and so she can look at herself. "Mother, as much of a horrible person she was to me, there was one good thing she taught me. She taught me to fight. It was the only form of praise she ever gave me, though she only did it so I could protect my sister. She made it seem like it was my job as a bodyguard, not the duty of an older sister. It didn't matter, because I wanted to protect her anyways.

"I also had the false hope, that maybe one day, she would change. That maybe one day she would treat me like family and not her housekeeper. It was a lost cause, as no matter how good I became, she would always treat me the same, or even worse. That search for affection, lead me to taking her life.

"It felt so satisfying at the time, knowing that the torment would finally stop. Though, I did worry about how my sister would react." Airu lets out light chuckle. "I am not sure what was worst, the fact she seemed like she didn't care that she was dead, or the fact she was eating her arm when I woke up the next morning. That one kill snapped my mind for the longest time. I thought it was okay, that it was needed, to kill. It was Hell, and now I can barly look myself in the mirror."

"RagingKey saved you, didn't he?" Ozpin guesses.

"Yeah, he kicked my ass and showed me the truth. He actually listened to me. He never abandoned me. He made sure I kept fighting. Maybe he saw something in me, but whatever it is that keeps him coming back, I am thankful."

"He is a good man." Ozpin looks at his watch and turns to Airu. "You might want to grab a couple of hours of sleep. I keep watch and wake you all when we need to head out." Airu nods and makes her way over to her sleeping bag. After a few minutes, she falls alseep. Ozpin sighs and turns to the camp. "How long are you going to stand there?"

"I was just leaving," replies a male voice from behind a tree, "She is a good kid, she just needs to learn to deal with her pain. That is something I can't teach, as much as I would want to."

"You have done enough."

"I wish that were true. I be keeping an eye out for a little while longer, so be careful."

"I will, be safe." No response from the woods.

* * *

Ozpin and Team AART continue to walk on as the morning sun begins to rise. The dawn comes with little resistance as no fiends bar the way. As they reach a clearing they look on to see the ruins of a city to the south. The grey scenery gives a surprising contrast to the lush greenery around them. Airu turns around with her hands on her head and a cold shiver down her spine. The headmaster looks in worry as he gets ready to say something, but stops when Ren puts a hand on his shoulder. "Don't say anything," he commands Ozpin, "Give her a minute. The ruins remind her of something that she wants to forget." Ozpin nods as he looks on.

Airu finally snaps out of it with a few deep breaths and turns back to the ruins. "So, what is that place?" she asks.

"Mountain Glen," responds Ozpin, "It was a failed attempt to expand Vale. It got overrun with Grimm, so they retreated underground. Of course, that only lasted so long before we had to close it off as well. All that is left is an underground city, and an abandoned subway station."

"I wouldn't call it 'abandoned,'" corrects an ominous voice behind them. Everyone turns to the blue-haired maester behind them.

"Seymour, what have you done?!" questions Auron, his anger rising fast.

"I haven't done anything, but your friends from RWBY have."

"What do you mean?!"

"They stuck their nose where it doesn't belong, and now they are on a train back to Vale right now. I believe the Grimm are on their way as well, with my fiends."

"You fucking asshole!" exclaims Airu as she charges in with her rapier drawn. With one fluid motion at a speed almost impossible to track, she strikes forward as she sends electricity through her blade. The harpy aimed for the head, but her blade is caught inches in front of his face.

"Is that all you got, a stab with such weak electricity. An Imp could cause more damage than that." Seymour yanks his arm to the side, tossing Airu with him. "You all will die here, so you should at least know what you failed to stop. You see, back in Spira all I desired was to rid it of its sorrow. I would become Sin and together with Yevon, we would give the only escape fitting for Spira, death. You may of stopped me in Spira, but Yevon is a forgiving god to those who are truly faithful. He granted me an opportunity, to take his powers and rid the sorrow of this world instead.

"It seems the passage remained open too long, as you are here, but no matter. Yevon has granted me the power to recreate Sin in this world. I will become Sin, and live as its one true master. My powers are far greater now, but you wish to allow these people to live in such sorrow. Like Yevon, I am forgiving, so I will rid you for your sorrow now, so you won't have to face the failure of it later."

Seymour raises his arm as he prepares a spell and chants, "May the winds of the Farplane take your life quickly!" He snaps his arm down. "Mega-De-!" Before he can finish the spell, a bone shattering punch connects with his face, sending him into the trees. In his place stands a man with long black hair touching his shoulders in a black trench coat that reaches his ankles. Airu stares with her team and Ozpin as the one name comes to mind.

"RagingKey!" she exclaims. The man turns to the group and flashes a grin. His slate grey eyes beam with confidence as he stands in front of them.

"The one and only," he proclaims as the roar of an engine signals the oncoming truck as it pulls up beside him. In the driver's seat sits a young man. Dressed in light combat armor, very similar to Ren's with more padding, and a steel mask to cover his face, he look with dead eyes at everyone.

"Get in, we have a train to catch," he commands through a metallic voice. Not wasting a moment, everyone piles into the black. Auron gets in the passenger seat, Ren and Ozpin take the back seat with Tidus, and Airu and Rage sit in the bed of the truck. The masked man pushes the pedal to the floor as they drive back towards Vale.

"Why are we in a car, Vale is a day's drive away?" asks Ozpin.

"Not with this bad boy, we will be there in fifteen minutes," replies Rage, "Just keep driving Moon."

"Yes sir," responds the now named Moon as he pushes harder on the gas. Flames shoot out the back as the truck increases its speed.

"This must be bad if you brought MoonKoolaid with you," observes Airu.

"Seymour is more powerful than I expected. I can't kill him."

"What do you mean?"

"There is some sort of divine protection, but it isn't steaming from here. I need to find the source and have someone take care of it. Until then, I need his help to keep the fiends down in this world, and to keep track of all of you."

"Is this why you sent Airu and Ren to me?" asks Ozpin.

"Yes and no. They came here on their own, but I needed them to lay low while I worked. So I sent them, Auron, and Tidus to you. Whatever brought Seymour here didn't want you here as well, that is why your abilities were locked for a while, but they are slowly returning. But remember, you are still bound to the laws of this world and as such you are still in possession of your Aura and Semblances here." Auron and Tidus nod in agreement. Rage looks to say more, but a screech coming from behind turns his attention.

Everyone, with the exception of Moon who looks through his rear view mirror, turns around to the sight of a giant Nevermore flying behind them. Behind it is a flock of Garuda sending Sonic Booms at the truck that Moon avoids. Rage forms a pistol, a simple black revolver, in his right hand and points it at the Grimm and fiends. "I really don't have time for weaklings," he proclaims. He fires his gun into the distance, causing the Nevermore to explode into a mass of feathers as it dissolves. Rage fires more shots and the fiends quickly drop from the sky, leaving trails of pyreflies behind.

"We will be arriving in thirty seconds!" announces Moon.

"Alright everyone, prepare to jump," commands Rage. The top of the truck dissolves away as Moon speeds up even more toward the cliff overlooking Vale. Everyone looks in worry as they quickly approach the cliff. "Now!" Moon takes a sharp left allowing everyone to see the city in a constant struggle against the Grimm. Ozpin and Team AART leap from the moving truck toward the concrete as Airu summons some wind to slow their descent.

The group rolls upon landing and take a closer look to the battle ahead of them. Team RWBY work in unison as they stand their ground against a pack of Beowolves, JNPR look to be dealing with a few Ursa, Sun and Neptune stand near some mechanical soldiers as they look to hold a perimeter, and Coco deals with the Nevermore while her team takes care of anything that comes after her.

"Alright team," begins Airu, "Let's split up and help who we can. Auron, provide support of CFVY, Ren for Sun and Neptune, Tidus go help JNPR, I will assist RWBY." Everyone nods and run toward their assigned teams. "This is going to be a long fight." Airu rushes to join RWBY in hopes to end this quickly.

* * *

 **And that's it guys. We got a little more insight on Airu's emotional state after genocide, and a little more of her relation to RagingKey, who can apparently Deus Ex Machina now. Just kidding, he was the voice, so he was there already.**

 **Now, a lot of you are probably wonder, Who is MoonKoolaid? What will he offer to the story? MoonKoolaid is an OC based on my friend's YouTube name, in which he wore a steel mask and had a machete in his hand for his image. I liked the image, so I stuck with it when I came up with his character. In fact, RagingKey is/was my YouTube name for the few videos I did with him. So RagingKey is not me, or not entirely. Moon will mainly play a background character who is there, but doesn't do much. Rage just needs to have his lackey in case something goes wrong.**

 **Anyways, I will see you all Friday, for chapter 30, where we can finally begin the breach.**


	31. Chapter 30: Breach

**Alright guys, it's Friday Funday and you all get a chapter. The Breach is here, so we get some large scale fighting going on. But of course there will be more than just Grimm, I mean why else would Final Fantasy X be here if there wasn't.**

 **As I talked about last time, Tuesday we will get a special chapter that is related to the story but isn't. I will explain more on Tuesday, but know that it will be much, much longer than any chapter so far.**

 **Also, special thanks to the following for the follow or favorite of this story (been a while since I have had multiple ones):**

 **Favorite: alexwu704 (The guy who has commented on this a couple of times)**

 **Follow: alexwu704, SOP369369**

 **Again that you guys, you are what makes this happen.**

* * *

 **Chapter 30: Breach**

Coco stands tall, firing a barrage of bullets into the sky, tearing the Nevermores to shreds while her team fends off the grounded Grimm. One manages to dodge a slash from Yatsuhashi as the Beowolf lunges after Coco, who has her back turned. The Grimm slashes at the leader of Team CFVY, but stops as its upper body slides to the ground leaving its lower body to fall and dissolve. Noticing what was happening a moment ago, she stops firing and turns to the fallen Grimm.

Standing in its place is the man she likes more than her own team, Auron. "You miss me," he says with a grin.

"Well, if it isn't my Old Man," she replies with her cocky attitude, lowering her sunglasses for added effect.

"It's about time we end this attack now."

"I couldn't agree more." Coco transforms her mini-gun back into its handbag form as the two stand back to back, now surrounded by Beowolves. "I know it can be hard at your age, but try and keep up Old Man."

"I am only twenty-five!" Despite the teasing, Auron smiles as he grips Masamune with his right hand. The odd shaped blade held not on his shoulders, but to his side with his left arm at the ready, his sleeve flapping in the breeze.

The Grimm begin to charge. Auron slices one in half while decapitating the next. Coco slaps away a Grimm on her left while uppercutting another with her handbag before bringing it back down to crush its skull. Auron turns and stabs the slapped Grimm while Coco brings her weapon over to knock aside another who was aiming for Auron's back. The two stand and turn to each other, seeing more Grimm approaching from either side.

On instinct, Auron ducks down allowing Coco to roll over his back. The fashionista brings her bag down upon the Grimm after her roll while the guardian, still ducked down, slices through the other. Auron and Coco take a look at the last two surrounding them and nod. They run past each other after the Grimm, but their weapons are going the opposite direction. With ease, Auron catches the handbag as he manages to knock the head off a Beowolf, while Coco cuts another one in half with Masamune, leaving the legs separated from its mouth.

"Not bad," comments Coco as the two exchange weapons, "Didn't think you could even pick this bad boy up."

"And for someone who swings around a purse with a mini-gun," replies Auron, "You can at least handle a sword."

* * *

Sun and Neptune stand side-by-side as they swing their weapons at the incoming Grimm. Sun's quarter staff and Neptune's glaive defeat the Grimm that cross their backs. The two prepare to charge an Ursa Major, when it falls over with a massive hole in its chest. Behind it stands Ren Glain, now carrying a shotgun in his hand. The gunslinger opens the gun and removes the empty shells before putting two more in their place as he walks to the two transfer students.

"Hey, dude!" calls Sun, "We could of got it."

"You two can't have all the fun," replies Ren Glain.

"As Junior Detectives, we say we can." Sun and Neptune pull out badges as to prove their statement.

"Ahh, but you are forgetting one thing…" Ren pulls out his pistol from his left leg and points it at the two, "...my gun says you can't."

"He has us beat Sun," admits Neptune, placing a hand on the monkey faunus's shoulder, "Plus, we are surrounded by Grimm." The trio look on to see half a dozen Beowolves standing before them.

"All me to take them," commands Ren. He quickly forms five more shotguns in his arms as he holsters his pistol. He turns to the Grimm while juggling them and throws them all into the air one by one, saying one last thing, "Hasta la vista."

Ren catches, aims and fires the first gun at the closest Grimm, causing it to explode. He tosses the gun to the side and catches the next one, firing it as well. The now four Grimm charge at the young man as he tosses the next gun to the side. Catching the third gun, he sidesteps a lunge from a Beowolf and fires his weapon at point blank range. Using the empty gun, he slaps aside the next Grimm and catches his next gun, using its shot to kill another Grimm before he has a chance to attack.

He tosses the two guns to the side as the Grimm snarl at him from either side. He looks calm and collected as he stands in their path. The two charge at the defenseless human in front of them, but all he does is smirk. Ren's last two shotguns land perfectly in his hands as he raises them towards his attackers. Both Beowolves let out a threatening roar as they leap at the young gunslinger. Time seems to slow as the two slowly approach him, but he lets out a menacing laugh as his weapons blast holes into the Grimm, sending them straight down to the ground as they dissolve into nothing.

"That was," begins Neptune.

"Awesome!" finishes Sun, "You were such a badass!"

"I know, I know. But the praise is always nice so keep talking." The trio continue to talk while Ren notices Glynda sealing up the hole in which the Grimm came from. Sun and Neptune breathe a sigh of relief as they turn and walk away with Team CFVY. Ren makes his way to Auron as the two give each other a high-five. Almost in sync with their gesture, the wall blows up once more, allowing not Grimm, but fiends to enter the city.

"Come on!" whines Ren Glain, "Aren't the Grimm enough today?"

"Quit complaining and let's go," commands Auron as he runs towards the fiends with Ren Glain following behind while grumbling. The two arrive to find Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Airu, and Tidus surrounded by a wide variety of fiends. Pushing through them, Auron and Ren Glain take their places next to the others.

"Good, the gang's all here," comments Airu, "Auron, how do we take care of them?"

"Ruby, Jaune," calls the guardian, "I will be taking control of your teams, is that alright?" The two leaders nod. "Good. Airu, get in the air and take care of fliers. Pyrrha, use your shield to back her up by throwing it at them while Lie Ren shoots at them. Yang, Nora, you two are with me in taking down the larger lizards and the short armored creatures. I will discuss them in detail later. Ruby, Jaune, Blake and Tidus take care of the smaller lizards and the wolf-like creatures. Weiss and Ren Glain, use distance Dust attacks on the blobs and the floating orb clusters. Fire and Ice counter each other while Thunder and Water counter each other." Hearing the orders, everyone nods in agreement and charge into battle.

Using her speed, Ruby darts around the fiends slicing them with her gun-scythe, Crescent Rose. She ducks under a lunge from a Bandersnatch and fires a shot into its chest, reducing it to pyreflies. Ruby quickly turns and stabs her weapon into the ground as she unloads an entire clip into a horde of Reptiles. She looks to the fallen fiends and counts twelve killed, and twelve shots were fired. A Dingo charges at her with her back turned, and leaps at the leader of RWBY.

Luckily, the attacker doesn't get a chance to attack as Blake slices the fiend in two. She quickly moves on as she takes care of two more who attacked from both sides. Drawing her katana from her cleaver sheath, she stares down the fiends, around a dozen Skoll stand before her. Almost like they heard a invisible signal, the fiends charge the cat faunus. She fires two shots, taking care of two of them, before she ducks to avoid another one, who meets a swift end from her katana. Another one attacks from behind, only to strike a clone of lightning, shocking the fiend and manages to zap another two as well.

She looks to her last six as Blake hears the cry of Tidus chanting, "Eenie! Minnie! Miney! Moe!" Tidus charges past her and jumps of one of the fiend's heads and manages to suspend himself in midair. His blade charges energy into it as she stares down his opponents. "Energy Rain!" The dream brings his blade down sending dozens of beams of light that are absorbed into the ground. Tidus lands, turns to Blake and gives a thumbs up before an explosion sends the fiends into the air. Blake drops her jaw as the fiends all drop dead within seconds of landing.

Yang leaps into the air and sends a crushing punch to the face of a Nidhogg, snapping its neck and killing the fiend. She ducks as two more approach as Auron decapitates one with a rising slash and Yang uppercuts the other as she stands herself up on the other side of his blade.

The two regain their balance and stand back to back as they look upon the Grimm that surround them. Another Nidhogg charges head first, but is put down by a rocketing punch from Yang followed by a blast from her Ember Celica.

Auron examines the situation as he feels the energy course through his body once more. "Yang," he begins, "Go help Nora, I got these ones."

"I would but…" Yang trails off as she looks to Nora who seems to be playing Whack-a-Mole with the Helms. The crazed girl then begins to bounce one with her hammer off a wall like she is playing racket ball. Another one charges at her but she quickly turns and nails the fiend like a golf ball, crashing it into a Floating Eye. "... I think she has it covered."

"Then get out of the way!" Doing as she is told, Yang quickly runs towards safety as Auron pulls out a light blue Dust crystal from a vial using his left hand. He places the crystal on the ground as his body begins to glow with white energy. The guardian turns to the fiends and chants, "Pray! Now!" With a power, he leaps into the air and points the blade to the ground as the energy transfers to the sword. "Dragon Fang!" With the same power as the jump, he drops to the ground and drives his blade into the ground as it shatters the Dust crystal. The Overdrive sends not only a shock wave towards the fiends, but a massive wave of ice that covers the entire radius of the attack. The fiends don't take long to shatter and die, leaving nothing but pyreflies and ice.

"Did you take this out of Weiss's playbook or something?" asks Yang in awe.

"No, I simply combined the effect of my Dragon Fang Overdrive with a Ice Dust crystal I had."

"And why was that needed?"

"The fiends were weak to Ice. They were Fire based after all."

As the two continue to their squabble, Airu flies over head as she slices through flocks of Evil Eyes. Behind her, one covers its eyes in preparation to strike, but is hit by the bronze shield, Milo. Airu nods to the gladiator before flying around and sending a wave of fire at a couple of fiends. Before long, she is surrounded by various aerial fiends including Evil Eyes and Imps.

Sensing the danger, the harpy speeds up the wind as it circles around her, capturing the fliers and dealing minor wounds. She then places both butterfly swords to her side and let the Burn Dust run free as she spins as well. The Dust drifts from the cartridges as they begin to ride the wind, burning the fiends in the process. To everyone else, it looks like a flaming tornado of death. The fires finally die down and all that is left is Airu sitting in the air. A stray Condor charges after her, but is met with a hailstorm of bullets from Lie Ren's StormFlowers.

Ren Glain tosses a grenade at a group of Snow Flans as he rolls to avoid the incoming Blizzard spells. Getting back to his feet, he fires a single shot, causing the grenade to explode and spread flames across the fiends, killing them. He narrowly avoids a blast of Water as he turns to the Blue Elements floating in front of him. Before he can fire any shots, the two are quickly zapped with lightning from Weiss. Ren Glain turns to the heiress who has her rapier pointed at what once was fiends.

The two look at each other, before pointing their weapons at each other and sending a blast of fire at the other. Their attacks brush past their face, but do nothing as they head for their true targets, the White Elements behind them. They quickly notice the circle of fiends that surround them and assume a back-to-back position. Weiss holds Myrtenaster in a fencing position as Ren loads new clips into his weapons. "How are you on ammo?" she asks.

"I am fine on ammo," he replies, "But I am all out of Dust crystals and my guns are low on powder. If I could take them out in one go, that would be great." Ren Glain fires a shot of ice to counter one of fire at him.

"I have an idea. How many crystals can fit in one of your bombs?"

Ren smirks at the plan, knowing exactly what it is. "As many as I need." Weiss slices a spear of ice as she pulls out a few vials from her side pocket.

"This should be enough. Fire, ice, and lightning Dust in crystal form as well as some wind Dust powder."

"Alright, make sure you hit your target." Ren holsters his left pistol as he slowly forms a bomb in his hand with the Dust. He turns the dial on his other one to it's light green setting as it finishes. Turning to the heiress, he asks, "Ready?"

"Ready!" Forming a glyph under her feet, she sends herself into the air. The spy fires two shots up, sending her higher in the air due to the wind Dust used. At the peak of her jump, she points her rapier down as she begins to fall. Ren Glain quickly begins to run away, avoiding the elemental blasts sent towards him. Weiss lands on the bomb laying on the ground and causes a small explosion. The wind Dust activates, sending fire, ice, lightning, and water towards the fiends that surround them.

The dust clears revealing the fiends have been reduced to pyreflies. Everyone regroups as they notice the wall has once again been fixed. "That… was rather… interesting," pants Lie Ren as he tries to catch his breath.

"That is what we did all day during our mission," comments Airu.

"And what Auron and I did for practically two months," adds Tidus.

"Are all the creatures from Spira like this?" asks Pyrrha.

"Just be lucky we didn't encounter an Ochu," replies Auron, "Or this might not of ended so well."

"Hey, where's Jaune?" Ruby asks. Everyone looks around to find a stoned Jaune, or rather Jaune had been turned to stone.

"That's just great," complains Tidus, "Jaune is petrified and we don't have a Soft."

"Nora, carry him back to the building," orders Airu, "I will see if my contact knows where I can get some."

"I am right here!" exclaims Rage as he walks up to the group. Before anyone from JNPR can ask, he pulls out a large white needle from his coat as tosses at Jaune's heart. The needle embeds itself in his chest before disappearing into light. Coating his body, the light washes away the stone as Jaune continues moving once more.

"Wah!" cries Jaune, "What just happened?"

"You were petrified, I simply took care of the problem before you died.

"Just who are you?" questions Lie Ren as he points his weapons at the black clad man..

"RagingKey, Lord of Hell," introduces Rage, rather uninterested in Lie Ren or his weapons, "I already know who all of you are, I just came by to take care of your leader."

"Thanks," says Jaune, "I am just glad this is over."

"Oh ho ho, you thought this was over?" asks an ominous voice. Everyone, including Rage, turns in shock to the man standing before them. Seymour chuckles at the surprised look everyone has. "My dear children, and Auron, this is just the beginning. I hate my plans being interrupted, so I would ask some of you step back." With a snap of his fingers, Team AART, Team JNPR, and Rage are pushed back, leaving Team RWBY facing the blue-haired Guado.

"What are you doing?" questions Weiss as she prepares her weapon.

"Just setting things up for the show. We don't need extras in this performance. RKWL, you can come out now." Four figures step out from behind Seymour, and take their places on either side of him. "Tidus, Auron, I believe these look familiar. With my new powers, I was able to create copies of your friends, ones who will do my bidding. Now, first order of business, use your Gems and kill Team RWBY!" The four figures raise their Gems in the air before throwing them at the girls. Each Gem connects and sucks each girl and figure who threw them into black holes.

"Seymour, what did you do?!" demands Airu.

"Simple, I forced the girls into duels with my creations. The only way to escape is for the other to die. I imagine you will see your friends soon enough, Auron, or at least an image of who you considered friends." He laughs before raising his staff. "But you all won't live to see it anyways! End their suffering, Bahamut!" The clouds turn dark as the Aeon lands next to Seymour. "This is where you die!"

* * *

 **Hahaha, you thought the fiends were going to be it. I am not that nice.**

 **So now it will by RKWL vs RWBY in one-on-one fights. Take your guess on who you think it will be. Go on, I'll wait.**

 **Got it, good. By now you should know who is RKWL, but doesn't mean I won't keep you all in suspense, for a week. Hahaha. I am an evil bastard. Because Tuesday will be the special, long chapter, so be ready. I will see you all next Tuesday, until then, don't kill anyone. Unless of course they are a zombie, then kill it and run like Hell.**


	32. Special: Harpy of Death: Genocide

**Okay guys, so here is the special. This is a short story I wrote that details Airu's backstory much better that the briefs before. The intro takes place around three months before the beginning of Remnant of a Dream, and the main part of the story takes place three years before that. The intro is also during the Isle of Warrior's timeline (I really should finish posting that with all the references to it), but because it is not up, I will give a quick overview of what happened.**

 **So, after everyone met up at the camp, RagingKey organized the group in an attack against Airu and her allies. In tough battles all across the mountain, Airu's crew was defeated. Finally, RagingKey and Roxas (Kingdom Hearts) made it to the top where they found Airu and Lutt waiting. No one had died, but the struggle was long. Roxas and Rage were the only ones who hadn't gotten in a major fight so far.**

 **Now that you all are up to speed with the story so far, a couple of disclaimers. First, is that I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything related to the series. You must be wondering as to why I am doing this, and it is because this has not been directly listed as a Kingdom Hearts Fanfiction, despite focusing on Airu for the majority of this chapter. Second is that this will be written primarily in first person past tense, the exception being thoughts as well as the events before and after the flashback. Thoughts will not have 'I thought' every time, and instead will be** _written like this._ **This was how I wrote it before, I just went back and edited it a little before today. So, apologizes if my writing seems different than usual, as well as characters will be introduced again, even if they were already described before.**

 **Third is a warning. This story has been listed as M from the beginning mostly for language and blood, but this special is a little different. There will be gory deaths and child abuse discussed in this story, so be warned. These darker tones are going to be persistent, so if you wish not to read this, wait until Friday for the next chapter to be released.**

 **Anyways, I have talked for long enough, so please sit back and enjoy this long, long, long, special.**

* * *

 **Special 1: Harpy of Death; Genocide**

 _This is my last chance. These are the only two who made it up this far. That means the rest must be taken care of by the rest of my forces. In front of me stands the two men who wish to take what's mine. That's fine, it makes it that much easier to kill them._

The first is a tall and well built man, dressed in a black trench coat, black shirt, and black pants. He has medium length black hair and a smooth face. He has slate grey eyes and an emotionless expression. In his hands are two long swords. One is a deep black, so deep, it looks like it has truly lost all color that existed at all. The other is very gold, with orange colored metal on the inside of the blade. Its guard has a red jewel and its hilt has a chain hanging off the end.

The second is much shorter and younger. He has dirty blond hair, spiked at the top. His coat is similar, but he wears his zipped and has a hood in the back. I couldn't see any other clothing. He also wields two blades, but they are very peculiar. The one is black, not as dark as the other's however. Its guard surrounds the hilt in a full circle. The blade looks sharp, and forms a weird, trapezoid at the end on one side. It has a black crown attached to the chain at the hilt. The other blade is white-green colored. Its hilt is quite similar, but it's straighter at the back end, like a blossoming flower. Its blade remains straight until the end, in which it curves to form a crystal-flower at the end of the blade as well. The chain on it attaches to a star, made of seashells.

I met the second one before, when he interrupted my only chance at two kills. _What was his name again? Roxas?_ It doesn't matter, I will end them both now. I look over to my sister, who is gripping her staff hard. I know I can count on her to heal my wounds, and to put the others on ice. She is half cat and has a lust for blood. Her white fur moves with the wind, though her wrists are stained red with blood.

 _It's time to end this_. "So you finally came," I say proudly.

"I didn't realize you were waiting," states the tall man, "I would of been here sooner if I knew it was going to be an inconvenience."

"Don't get cocky yet.'

"Why not?" he asks with a shrug, "We both know it's already over."

"Admitting defeat then?"

"More like declaring victory."

I look over to the shorter man, "So did you ditch your allies or something, Roxann?" I ask sarcastically.

He looks like he is getting a little irritated. "I thought I already told you," he points his black blade at me, "My name is Roxas."

The tall man expression actually changes, to one of sudden intrest. He looks at Roxas, then to me. _What is he thinking?_ "So you two actually know each other?" he asks.

"Not exactly," responds Roxas, "She is just the b-"

"My name is Airu Mirai, Harpy of Death," I interrupt. I shoot a quick glare at Roxas before turning back to the other man. "Your friend is just mad I tried to kill his friends."

"Oh," sighs the man, "And to think I thought someone stronger nearly killed them."

"You arrogant jackass!" He is really starting to get on my nerves.

"Please, if you are going to call me names, can it at least be mine?"

"Then what is your name, Blackie?"

The man points his golden blade towards me as he introduces himself. "I am RagingKey, Lord of Hell." _Lord of Hell, really. What did he do to get that, pull it out of a cereal box?_

"Now that we are done with introductions, are you ready for death?"

"I could ask you the same thing." The wind blows through the silent cavern. In an instant it stopped and RagingKey charges me. He swings his golden blade first, followed by the black one. I dodge the first one and block the second one with my rapier that I had kept at my side until now. I parry a few more attacks before I decide to fly upward, toward the ceiling. Here I may now have an aerial advantage.

No sooner had I flown up, Rage, easier to call him that than his full name, had began running up the side of the wall. With a single leap from two-thirds of the way up, he soars through the air. He slashes at me, but I was able to block. The force knocks me out of the air and my rapier falls out of my hand.

I spit dirt out of my mouth as a green glow covers my body. I look over to see my sister heal me. The next second she is knocked back by an attack from Roxas. The green glow dissipates as my blood starts to boil. _I am growing sick of all of this. Everything was perfect. My plan was flawless. So how did it all go downhill? Was it him? The man who is taking his sweet time walking to finish me off. Well, that's his mistake._

From off my wings, I grab two butterfly swords. The blades are wide but short and thin, and tied on the end were red ribbons. The dust from my fall finally clears and there stands Rage, looking as emotionless as before. No remorse, no happiness, nothing. It's like you could look into his slate grey eyes, and see the shell of a man who is hollow on the inside.

Rather than wait for his attack, I rush him instead, swinging my blades with blinding speed. He either blocks or dodges each one of them with ease. After about ten seconds, he drops one blade and bends down. _Now is my chance._ I swing down at his hand and hit the ground as I get punched in the face. I hear another blade drop as I fall back and he grabs. My body rotates around my wrist as I feel my legs get lifted into the air. I hit the ground face first, eating plenty of dirt.

I turn my head to the side and see that my sister has been defeated, her body lying on the ground as Roxas stands over her. _I can't lose. I just can't._ Using my swords as crutches I pull myself up. I can taste the salty blood dripping from my lip and nose, though I am having trouble smelling the usual aroma in the area.

Rage swings at me twice more, and I dodge by backflipping. As I land, I look up to a scorching hot ball of fire. The fireball sends me back as my body rolls over the ground, scratching up my legs and arms. _Why is this happening? Why won't this work?_ _Why can't I win?_ I stand up once more, spitting out a combination of blood and dirt, and turn to Rage. I can barely lift my swords, but I try anyways. I swing at him with all the strength I can muster, but the blade cuts nothing but air.

Instead of striking me down, he just sits there with the same blank emotion with those same grey eyes. _Why won't he just kill me already? He won, right? So why is he standing there?_ A tear mixed with blood rolls down my cheek as I remember that moment where everything changed. That day, three years ago.

*********************** 3 Years Ago **********************

The day started as every other. I woke up early and cleane the kitchen. I then made sure the table was set and began to make breakfast for my sister and Mother. The tricky part was timing, I had to make sure everything is prepared and done when they get up. Too late and Mother gots upset that it isn't ready yet. Too soon, and she complained it was too cold. After they start eating, then I can cook my own food so I can eat when they are done. My sister usually stays back after she is done so I didn't feel alone.

After I eat, I go get changed for school. Unlike most schools however, this school focused on combat rather than traditional subjects like reading and writing. I have always been the top of my class in swordplay, exceled in leadership and battle strategy, but suffered greatly in magic. I hadn't ever been able to harness any spells at all. It didn't help that the instructor hated me, or that he taught every subject.

In swordplay, I had practically mastered both the rapier and the dual butterfly swords, and had begun learning how to wield both styles and transitioning between them. What made it hard was the sheathing and unsheathing of the weapons quickly.

I put on a shirt that coverd my wings because Mother forces me to hide them. She hated them with a passion, and has hated them ever since I could remember. Me and my sister were left outside Mother's house when we were young. I think I was around four when it happened, but I remember it clearly. It was raining and we were sitting outside the front door. After a few minutes, Mother came out and saw us sitting outside, shivering in the cold rain. Mother went to take in my sister, and was about to leave me. It wasn't until my sister Lutt wouldn't stop crying until I was taken in as well. Mother was very opposed to the idea, but she took me in as well. She raised us, but it was obvious that Mother hated me as well.

Mother always made me do chores. I would usually clean the entire three story, five bedroom house, and I had ever since I was about six years old. I was always in charge of dishes and laundry for everyone, everyday. One day when I was cleaning, I stumbled upon a room that contained various swords and armor. I was amazed about the entire collection and wondered why Mother had hid it from us.

I must of been standing in the room for quite some time because Mother had noticed me and began scolding me for slacking off then promised me that she would train me in swordplay. From there I learned how to use a rapier, and only permitted me to use that weapon. She said that the rapier was a noble weapon, and that all other styles were barbaric. It wasn't until I was ten that she enrolled me in the School of Weapon and Magic Arts, or the SWMA, where over the next six years I perfected wielding a rapier.

I wasn't satisfied however with just the rapier, however. I had always admired the butterfly swords for their contradictory size and speed. It just made me want to learn how to use them, but I knew Mother wouldn't approve. So I went behind her back and began to learn them at the same time. It made it a challenge, but I managed to master them both by the time I was fifteen. This last year, I began working on using both styles as one, and it has been difficult.

After I got dressed, me and my sister would begin our morning jog to school at the base of the volcano we live on. The volcano has been dormant for around 100 years. It takes us about half an hour to reach the school. We arrive at the rather small campus. The school didn't have much, but it made up for that in quality of the teachers. All the teachers were extremely high skilled in both magic and weapons, who also doubled as our military. Outside the town is a large clearing and forest that contains dangerous monsters.

The most common we delt with was the repto-slime, a slime based creature with a lizard head. They were pretty much all the same, but they had slight differences in either their choice of magic or weapons. To deal with them is really easy, dodge its attacks and kill it. There exist other creatures as well, but they were very rare and don't attack much.

* * *

My sister and I entered the building, when we noticed a suspicious bear-skin rug lying in the middle of the hallway. We hadn't decorated the school with anything for a while now, so I knew exactly what was going on. I walk over to the rug to examine it, then I kicked it in the face. A loud scream filled the corridors as the rug jumps up in pain. The bear landed on its hind legs and stood up straight and revealed a young man who wore the rug like a cloak. Short, but young.

As he babied his nose, he asked me, "Did you have to kick me that hard, Airu?"

"Yes I did," I replied, laughing at his pain, "Lutt, heal Chen's nose."

"Alright," she said. Chen Fei was another student in our class. We were considered the top class and as such, usually train with the best teacher and equipment. We also have unrestricted access to the library and armory. Chen specialized in assassinations, though he tends to use the same tricks, and we had pretty much figured him out. He was always dressed in that bear-skin and claimed he washed it at least once a week. We wielded a broadsword and a dagger dipped in poison. He was quite energetic, but when it comes to fighting, he would be extremely lethal.

After a couple of minutes, I heard heavy footsteps coming from the halls. Dressed in a long black robe and carrying a large staff, Morthos approaches our group. Morthos was a mage, a necromancer to be exact. His staff is evident of that, with its end being shaped into a skull. He was quite skilled in raising and controlling the dead, especially those annoying banshees and skeletons. He tends to have a poison dagger on him as well, but rarely uses it. He doesn't like people either, but he tolerates our class.

As Morthos approaches us, he begins to speak. "Airu, Lutt, Chen," He started as he enters the group, "Did you guys hear the news?"

"What news?" I asked.

"Apparently our professor died last night."

"So that old geezer finally kicked the bucket. I was wondering when he would stop pestering me."

"It wasn't because of illness or old age."

"Wait, what?" blurted Chen.

"If he didn't die of natural causes, how did professor die then?" asked Lutt.

"No one knows," answered a voice from the shadows. We all looked toward one of the banners to see a man dressed in a light armor body suit with two holsters for pistols on either hip. "He was found in an alley covered in blood. Who killed him is still a mystery, but apparently we are getting a new professor today." As he walked into the light, his face became clear. Over his left eye was some technical identifier or something like that.

"Ren, do you always have to make things so dramatic?" asked another new voice. Behind him approached another mage, this time dressed in a red robe, but also carrying staff. His staff on the other hand was shaped like a cobra.

"Oh come on Mangus, you have to learn to have a little fun, it make things so much more interesting." Ren Glain replies. Ren and Mangus are twin brothers, featural obviously. Ren was always into the tech stuff, and is very good at making new weapons, that didn't usually work. He kept trying though. Plus he loved attention, and has that certain flare that makes him stand out. Rather than melee weapons, like most students, Ren has actually developed a keen eye for guns. He usually used dual pistol with hand-to-hand combat, but can also use various other weapons that he had stashed in who knows where.

Mangus on the other hand, wasn't quite as energetic as his twin brother. He is a huge bookworm and was very skilled at attack based magic. Mangus prefers not to be seen, but his brother made it a little hard for him to do that. Though in battle, Mangus is merciless and won't hesitate, even during training. Ren was a bit more laid back and lazy during exercises, but when it came down to the real thing, he is not someone you want to face. The two of them are also in our class.

"Glad you two could join us," scoffed Morthos. He and Mangus never really got along. He was the only one who can actually make Mangus compete in anything. Most people actually assumed they were brothers.

"I see your attitude is still about as dark as your robe," quipped Mangus. I got in the middle of the two before it had a chance to get out of hand.

"Ladies, you're both pretty, but can we please find out what is going in with class today," I said, pushing the two away from each other.

"Alright, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," restarted Morthos, "Our professor was killed sometime last night by some unknown killer. All we know is that we have a new instructor starting today."

"Is it that one we had a few years ago who sucked and nearly caused us all to fail?" Ren asked.

"No, it's a completely new teacher who proved to be even stronger than all of the other instructors last week. I don't remember his name though."

 _Ring! Ring!_

"I guess we'll find out soon enough, we better get to class." We all walked toward our class. We arrive with plenty of time and take our seats as the last of our classmates came in. In the front of the room there was a giant blackboard and a wooden desk that has been cleared off. There wasn't a nameplate like before.

 _Ring! Ring!_

The bell rung as a tall man dressed in a black coat walked into the room. He was quite well built and carried in two large cases, one in each hand. He walked over to the blackboard after setting the cases down and picked up a piece of chalk and wrote something on it. Before revealing his writing, he turned to the class and began addressing us as a whole.

"Welcome class," he spoke, "As I am sure you are aware by now, your previous instructor suffered a horrific fate last night. While I do grieve this tragic loss, class must continue. The school hired me to continue your classes for the remainder of the year. Now, you must be wondering who am I." He stepped to the side to reveal the board as he read what it said. "My name is Professor Lucy. I hope we have a great rest of the year.

"Unfortunately, your previous professor did not leave notes on your abilities, so we are going to use today to spar. It will give me a chance to check out your abilities, as well as take notes on your needed improvements. I am going to go through the matches in order, so please pay attention. First will be Morthos vs Mangus. Next will be Ren Glain vs Chen Fei. Then we have Lomidia vs Lutt. And last, we will have a three person match between Airu, Jaiir, and Drago.

"Now then class, you have twenty minutes to go grab any needed equipment from your lockers and get to the training yard. Don't be late. Class dismissed." We all got up from our seats after the professor finishes his assignments. Mangus walked over to me.

"What do you need Mangus?" I ask.

"Do you think there is anything suspicious about our new instructor?" he whispers. I begin walking out into the hall before I answer him.

"I don't know yet. He seems normal, nothing wrong with a little sparring anyways. I'll keep my eye out though."

"Alright, good luck against those two brutes."

"I won't need luck, but thanks anyways." Mangus and I went to our respective locker rooms to change and grab our equipment. The school didn't provide armor the students, so most just wear whatever they brought to school, and I am no exception. I walk into the locker room and find my locker. In it I found my rapier that Mother gave me when I enrolled and the two butterfly swords the school gave me. I strap the butterfly swords to my back and place my rapier on my hip. After making sure there is nothing else I have to get, I head out to the training yard.

* * *

The entire class got seated on the bench on the edge of the training yard. The training yard was nothing special, but it served its purpose. We had a couple of training dummies off to the side, but what was mainly ever used is the sparring ring. The sparring ring was a marked off area of dirt where students could train against each other, and sometimes the school put on tournaments to show off the best of the best students. Standing in the center of the ring was Professor Lucy. _Why does he have such a girly name?_

"Right on time, perfect," declared Lucy. "We shall begin with Morthos and Mangus. Can you two please come up here so we may begin." Morthos and Mangus stood up and approached the ring. The two began a battle of magic, proving to be on equal grounds in skill and strategy. The duel went on for around five minutes before Professor Lucy stepped in and told them to stop. The two shook hands and took a seat on the bench.

"Chen Fei and Ren Glain, will you please come up?" asks Lucy. The two approach the ring and the battle again resumes. Both prove be fierce competitors, as they both land major blows on each other, but it was Chen who comes up on top. Using the bear skin as a distraction, he is able to get behind Ren and press his blade against his throat, signifying a victory. Lucy acknowledged the situation and motioned for them to take a seat. As they walked back, Lucy called for the next match.

"Alright, next up is Lutt and Lomidia." My sister and her opponent walk to the ring. Lomidia was a bard dressed in a white silk dress. She usually performed at the local tavern in the evenings, though there were rumors about what she does when she is not performing. Turns out she was also a whore. Aside from that, she was very gifted in magical tunes. These are musical uses of magic that are aided by the use of an instrument, like her lute, but she does have a falchion if she is ever in trouble, and she is very skilled with it. It probably helps that she straps it the the back of her lute.

Lutt is very skilled at healing and ice magic, making a very good healer. While she would seam at a disadvantage in a one-on-one fight, she was actually very dangerous. Her cat half gives her increased agility and flexibility, as well as claws that are very sharp. She also would get cravings for blood, and has been known to go overboard in training. She hasn't eaten anyone yet, as she usually can curb the cravings with a bird, but I tend to keep my distance when she would get like that.

Lutt and her opponent stood in front of each other as my sister grips her staff in her right hand. Lucy signals for the two to begin and Lomidia starts off by playing music. Lutt launches a ball of ice toward the bard as she deflects with another ball ice. The two shattered, creating a sparkling mist over the sparring ring in front of Lomidia. Looking confused, Lomidia drew her blade from the back of her lute and looks around.

From within the mist, another ball of ice is sent toward the bard who is unable to block and gets sent flying back. The mist clears as Lutt charges her opponent and swings her staff as Lomidia begins to stand back up. The wooden staff connects with her head, knocking her back down and cutting into her head. _I just hope Lutt isn't craving blood now_.

As Lomidia began to stand up, Lutt readied her claws as if she is about to swipe at her face when Lucy stepped in at said that was enough. The two shook hands and my sister healed the bard's wound. All that's left is my match. The two sit back down and look onward to my match. The peace is interrupted by the professor saying, "Airu Mirai, Jaiir, and Drago, please proceed to the sparring ring for the final match-up."

The three of us make our way down to the center of the ring. Jaiir and Drago are going to be tough opponents. Jaiir was very strong, tall, and tan. His muscles made him look like a caramelized cloud. It also doesn't help that he feels the only clothing he needs were loin cloths. I believe that Mother would've call him a filthy barbarian. Thankfully he does wear shorts during school, or I would be scarred for my life. He uses a giant battle axe and battle hammer, one in each hand, and can cause some rather groundbreaking tremors.

Drago is nowhere near as tall or strong as Jaiir, but is just deadly. He was half reptilian, as he was born into a humanoid family of repto-slimes called the Dragoons. Born with blue scales instead of skin and secluded for most of his life, he had become a master at both the katana and the glaive, a staff with a large blade at either end. Plus, he can spit ice because he is half reptilian. He was usually dressed in armor designed to mimic great warriors of legends from some mythical land of Japan, or something like that.

The three of us faced each other in the center of the ring as we waited for the signal to begin. Lucy acknowledged us and back outside the ring and begins his countdown. "3…" he counted. I ready my hand upon my rapier as the others prepare their weapons as well. "2…" I lowered my stance and look for any indicators of who they are going to attack first. I notice Drago is leaning toward me a little, and Jaiir is staring at me from his colossal height. "1…" They both are going to attack me first. _Did they work something out ahead of time? I just have to wait for the fight to begin._

"Fight!" yells Lucy. As soon as the 't' ended, Drago slashed at me with his katana, which he quickly pulled out of it's sheath. I barely blocked the attack with my rapier pulled out about a quarter of the way. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Jaiir swinging down with his giant axe. I drop down and ducked underneath the katana, which pulled my rapier out of my sheath. The axe misses my head by a few inches as Drago raised his blade and sent mine flying. I leaped into the air towards my blade, dodging an ice breath attack at the same time. I caught my blade with a graceful flip and began to descend head first, leaving me open for attacks. I saw the two ready their weapons for what looked to be a combo attack.

 _I can't win like this. Or can I?_ I launched my rapier towards Drago, which distracts him slightly, and from off my back I draw my butterfly swords and begin to turn my body so I can land on my feet. I landed and sent a cloud of dirt into the air. The barbarian swings his giant hammer and Drago, his glaive. I managed to block both of their attack just inches from my face, but they kept pushing their weapons closer to me. _I can't keep this up for much longer, they are a lot stronger than I am, and they have a better leverage point_.

I rolled forward and dragged my blades with me as their weapons strike the ground. My foot connected with Drago's face as he tried to lift his weapon. I quickly sheathed my swords and grab my rapier that was sticking out of the dirt. I ducked down, sensing an attack from the behemoth's axe and quickly I turned to him. He attacked with his hammer and I sidestep out of the way, right into an opening. I lunged forward, jabbing my rapier like one of Ren's machine guns, and caused some damage and wounds on his torso. All over his chest there were small holes where blood had begun to trickle out. He dropped down to one knee.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Drago charging at me with blood dripping from his nose. He swings at me with his katana and I have fall down to the ground to dodge. I grabbed his leg and trip him as Jaiir looked to be getting up. I wrapped my legs around his neck, and he brought himself to a stand with such force, his head started to push on my abdomen. I jackknifed, but that is what I needed. Using my momentum from being pulled up, I lean back, wrap my legs tighter, and pull him back down. As soon as I was upside down, I caught myself on the ground and let the barbarian soar as I regain my balance.

I jumped on Jaiir's back and held him down so he couldn't grab his hammer. My blade pressed against his back began to reflect sunlight into my eyes, so I moved my head to the left. It wasn't long before it started to get dark out, as a shadow was suddenly cast over us. Then something wet dripped on my neck, blood maybe? I roll out of the way quickly, narrowly avoiding Drago as he crash landed on top of Jaiir's back. _The reflection off of my blade must of threw off his jump._ Either way, I didn't hesitate to hold the two down with my butterfly swords positioned by their necks.

"That's it!" delcared Lucy. He walked over to the pile to help the two off the ground. When the boys are up, he began speaking to us. "That was excellent, all of you. It was so exciting, I had to let you guys finish. Also, I felt like I would die if I tried to get in the middle of that. You may go back to the bench, I have a few more announcements for the class."

"Yes, sir," replied Drago. He bows before we all head back to the bench. The professor followed close behind. As we walked, I notice the blood covering Drago's face and Jaiir's torso. The crimson red blood and clear sweat glistened in the sunlight. All of that caused by me. Our last professor never had us sparr with real weapons, fearing one of us would go too far and kill another one. He may of been right, but that was kind of fun. The adrenaline pumping through my veins, the close calls, it was all so real and exciting. _I may actually like this new instructor._

We get back to the benches and I began wiping off my blades, making sure that the blood didn't stain Mother's blade. I knew she would kill me if it got damaged. As my sister started to heal my opponents' wounds, Professor Lucy turned to the class to speak. "Alright class, that's it for today," he said, "I have taken substantial notes over your abilities. I will go over these tonight so I can develop my lesson plan for each of you starting tomorrow."

"Umm, Professor?" asked Lomidia in her high pitch voice.

"Yes. Lomidia is it?"

"Yeah, umm, we are required to be here for another 3 hours."

Lucy raised a eye brow in confusion. "Really, is that so? Well alright then, when's lunch?"

"In about 20 minutes."

"Okay then, new plan. Meet back in the classroom after lunch. We will be discussing one of the island's oldest legends. You are dismissed." We all got up from the bench and began heading to the locker rooms to shower before lunch.

* * *

Our class arrived back in the classroom and we took our seats. Professor Lucy sat in the chair, eating the last bite of a sandwich. He finished chewing and turned to the class. He brushed his black hair out of his face before speaking. "Is everyone here?" he asked.

"Yes we are all here," I replied. I was the last one to walk in and the class was small enough that I could recognize everyone and know if anyone is missing.

"Alright. Let's begin. Seven hundred years ago, this island suffered an attack from a ferocious demon. Standing at over 15 feet tall, covered in thousands of spikes, its mouth full of thousands of teeth, skin as black as the night with stripes of red, flames rising from the body, and carrying a giant blade, the creature ravaged the land, killing everything in sight. Cities burned and the streets were stained with the blood of its victims. To this day, no one knows it's reasons for doing this.

"All hope seemed lost as the last of the civilians hid underground, but the demon was relentless. It's attempts at the people were relentless, but they remained just out of reach long enough. The demons very presence caused a ripple in Space in Time. Soon the ripple became a tear, and from that tear poured in great warriors from Space in Time. Realizing the threat, they joined forces to take down the ferocious demon. But it wasn't as easy as it seemed.

"The creature's power was tremendous, and many warriors lost their lives. The battle raged on for months as more and more warriors poured in from the growing holes in Time and Space. After a long struggle, the warriors managed to subdue the demon, restraining its limbs as they attacked from all angles. But their attacks did nothing, as the demon's wounds would heal instantly. Then one night, the creature disappeared without a trace.

"As thanks for protecting the last of the people, we built a machine that was able to send the warriors back to their own place in Time and Space. After the last of them returned home, the creators destroyed it, preventing any access back to this world. But they still had no idea where the demon resides, or what it was. Legend suggests that the demon resides on the island, taking a human form.

"A note was found two years later, believed to be written by the demon, that said, 'You may have stopped me once, but I will be back. One thousand years from now, I will destroy this world and all who inhabit it, then I shall move on to the next.' To this day, we have yet to encounter this beast, but we have in turn had to deal with the monsters living outside our town.

Upon research, we have concluded that if we can find the demon before the one thousand years, we will be able to kill it in its weakened state.

"Well then, that was a lot of information. Do you guys have any questions?" I raised my hand with confidence. "Yes Airu?"

"If we were to kill it, how would we know if it was the demon?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know. My best guess is that the monsters would disappear or at least drop in population. There might be a release of fire from its corpse, but other than that, I can't tell you."

"What does it look like now?"

"Hmm. Possibly like everyone else. The creature didn't really look human, so there was no clear features that would distinguish it from the rest of us."

"How do you know about all of this? None of our history lessons before ever mentioned this." RING! The bell went off, signalling the end of the school day.

"Alright, class dismissed. We will be working on magic spells tomorrow, so be prepared and get some extra sleep, and possibly bring an ether of two." We all get up from our desks and begin heading out of the classroom. _Why didn't he answer my question? Is it that the bell rang, or is he hiding something._ Mangus was right, I should keep an eye on our new instructor. I met Lutt by the entrance to the school, and we began our jog back up the volcano, back to our home.

* * *

We arrived back home and went back to our daily routine. Lutt would go into the yard to practice her magic, or eat a few of the pigeons that mistoke the trees as their home. Mother usually would be sitting in her chair reading or making sure I complete the entire list of chores before I am allowed to eat. I was always responsible for completing the entire list, make dinner for everyone, go back to my chores, and then I am able to eat dinner.

I went over to the table to look at my chores for the day, and there was no list. _What is going on? Mother always makes sure I have something to do to, even if it is something pointless as clearing the road of pebbles._ I noticed Mother sitting in her chair, reading a book as usual. "Mother?" I asked.

"Yes, Airu?" she responded.

"What are my chores for today? I couldn't find the list of them."

"There is nothing for you to do today."

"Should I start dinner for you and Lutt then?"

"As I had said, there is nothing for you to do today. Enjoy it." Her tone turned a little harsh. I knew if I pushed any farther, she would find something for me to do.

"Alright, Mother. I am going to lie down for a while. I will be ready for dinner, whenever it is done."

"Alright, Airu." I walked upstairs to my room. When I get to my room, I immediately take off my shirt and spread my wings. _Oh how good it feels to spread my wings after keeping them bunched up in my shirt_. I looked in my closet for one of my shirts, the only shirt that I have that didn't have any sleeves. I even cut out slits in the back for my wings to fit into. I put it on and fit my large wings through the holes I had cut out. One of my brown feathers fell to the ground as it got knocked off when I put on my shirt. I picked it up and put it in a jar I keep by my bed, before opening up my window and leaping out.

I fell straight down, feeling the wind rush past me as I quickly approach the ground. Just before I hit the ground, I spread my wings out as far as I can reach with them and pulled up. As I flew upwards, I saw the trees and walls get smaller and smaller. I finally reached a point where I could hold my altitude, and I just sat there, flapping my wings. I sat there thinking about all that has happened.

 _Today has been especially weird. First there is the new instructor, a day after the old one was murdered. Then there is that legend. None of us ever heard of it before, but Professor Lucy seemed to know it as if it was common knowledge. Either he is not telling us something, or everyone we know is. And last, there is Mother. She didn't have me do anything, and she insisted that I not cook today. That is very unusual, even for a day normal day. There isn't much I can do about it now though._

I looked off into the distance and just stare at the sunset. It was a beautiful sight to see up in the air. The vibrant colors slowly faded to create something amazing. It helped bring the end to any day. I just sat there, for what felt like an eternity, just watching the sunset. Then it went dark as the stars began to grow in numbers. I looked up and just stare as the stars begin popping into the sky, one by one. I must of been sitting in the air for a while, because I heard my stomach grumble. _Mother is making dinner! I need to get back home now, or she will be extremely angry._

I quickly began flying downward into the night. I watched as the walls and trees grow bigger as I came closer to the ground. I turned quickly, back to my window, still lit from when I left for my flight. Speeding through the air, I quickly approached my room. _Good, Mother isn't inside it._ I flew through the window and landed softly on my rug. I quickly grabed a shirt for dinner to ensure Mother didn't find out. I closed my closet door and begin to walk towards my bed to change my clothes when I heard Mother, in a rather enraged tone, ask, "Going somewhere?"

 **(Warning; the following scene will contain some child abuse. If you are uncomfortable with this, please move ahead to the next horizontal line, just know that you are missing out on character and plot development. You have been warned.)**

"No," I responded, hoping that she just walked into my room.

"So you just happen to have your wings popping out of your shirt?" I heard Mother's feet starting to move closer to me.

"I was just stretching them out while I was lying down. They start to cramp up in my shirt all day." She stopped right behind me.

"Don't lie to me!" Mother grabbed my right wing and I winced in pain. My wings have always been extremely sensitive. "I came up here almost twenty minutes ago and you weren't in here!" She began twisting my wing and I droped down to a knee. "And don't try and use the bathroom excuse. Your window was wide open and I know you didn't walk past me when you got back in the room." She twisted my wing even more, and I collapsed in pain. I managed to stay on my hands and knees though.

"I… I am s...sorry." I was barely able to get out the words. My vision was getting extremely blurry and I was frequently blacking out. Tears poured out of my eyes from the pain. She twisted it even more and I think I heard a couple of bones crack in my wing.

"I have told you repeatedly that I never want to catch you with those thing out ever again." Mother stomped on my already twisted wing, cracking a few more bones.

"Ahhhh!" I screamed in pain as I slapped the ground in submission. She dug her foot into my wing a little more as I went in and out of consciousness. "Stop! Stop! Please Stop!" Tears were gushing out of my face as I screeched like a banshee for Mother to stop trying to destroy my wing. She lifted her foot up for a brief moment, only to stomp down once more before walking to my door. Leaving me in severe pain with my face drenched with tears from the damage done to my wing, she turned to me once more.

"If I ever catch you using your wings again, I will cut them off." She began walking out of my room, but stopped to say one last thing. "Your dinner is ready on the table, whenever you feel like eating." I just laid there, crying out in pain. My nerves finally decided to numb my wing, but I took my time changing into something for dinner. I sluggishly walked down to the dinner table to find a cold plate of food, roasted chicken. I slowly ate my cold dinner before crying myself to sleep in my bed.

* * *

I woke up the next morning tired and in agony. My face was red from crying all night and my wing looked like a shriveled mushroom. The light shining through my room illuminated the damage caused last night. Near my bed I took note of the pile of torn feathers and dried blood stains from the night before. I slowly made my way downstairs to make breakfast for the two before school. After the two ate, I take my place at the table and eat my food before getting changed. As I was getting changed, Lutt walks into my room to make sure I am ready to go. I just happened to not have my shirt on when she walks in. She stared at it in horror.

"What happened to your wing, sis?" asked Lutt, worried about it.

"Mother," I replied before trying to put my shirt on. I pulled my head through the hole before speaking again. "Mother caught me flying and twisted my wing, I am pretty sure it is broken in a few places."

"Oh," That's all she could say. I knew this had to be hard for her to hear. She knew Mother never liked me, but she never expected her to ever actually attack me. I, on the other hand, knew she would, I just didn't know when before.

"Come on sis, we better get going," I suggested.

"Wait, let me heal your wing."

"We can take care of that when we get to school." I could see the concern in her eyes. "Don't worry about me, I can take a few hits." _A few hits to the face yeah, but not to a broken and twisted wing_. The pain was still killing me, but I needed to put on a brave face for my sister. I didn't need her to start worrying about what happened between Mother and I. _Maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell her what happened last night._

"Alright, if you say so. Let's go sis."

* * *

We made it to school like usual and I let my sister heal my wing before we went to class. As we were walking to the classroom, I noticed Mangus and Morthos talking to each other. They noticed me as well. "Hey Airu," says Mangus, "Can you come over here for a second?"

"Yeah," I replied, "Go on ahead Lutt, I will meet you down there in a minute."

"Alright," She said. My sister continued on to the classroom.

"So what's up guys?"

"It's about the legend Professor Lucy told us yesterday," answered Morthos. "I did some reading last night, and a lot of what he said was true."

"Then what is it that wasn't true?"

"The years. He told us it was a thousand years before the return. It turns out the original tale said it was around eight hundred years."

"So he got a fact or two wrong, what's the big deal?"

"Apparently, no one else knew of the legend. I only found it by chance in a dusty old book in the library. No one had ever used the and no other teachers were aware of the legend. Why would he know about it?"

"Maybe he had a family member who told him about the legend."

"I had a similar idea," stated Mangus, "so I checked the city's records. He has no family listed. Plus there is no record of him existing until a few weeks ago."

I placed a hand on my chin as I thought. "Yeah, I guess that is suspicious. So what though?"

"I think there is something he isn't telling us about all of this."

"I'll make sure to keep my eye out for anything." As I began to start walking to class, Morthos stopped me.

"Just be careful," he said, "We don't need anyone getting hurt, especially you."

I let out a deep sigh. "Don't worry about me, I can take a few hits."

"Alright." He didn't seem convinced, but he let it go. I started walking to class, again. I arrived in the classroom and took my seat while I waited for the bell to ring. When the bell finally did ring, we were still without the teacher. We just waited, and waited, and waited. It wasn't until Lomida spoke up, that the silence was broken.

"So, umm, where is Professor Lucy?" she asked stupidly.

"Are you stupid?" retorted Chen Fei. "Do you think if we knew, we would of told everyone by now?"

"Sorry, you don't have to be a bi-" Lomida was cut off by the doors swinging wide open. Emerging from them was Professor Lucy.

"Well class, you all are really early," he stated, "Class doesn't start for another hour."

"Actually, it started twenty minutes ago," corrected Ren.

"What?"

"Yeah, look at the clock." Professor looks behind him at the clock with a shocked expression.

"Well then, would you all like to begin, or would you rather take a nap. Raise your hand for a nap." Professor Lucy was the only who put a hand up. "Really, no one wants to take a nap."

"We came to fight!" spoke Jaiir in his deep voice, "We're not here for naps."

"Alright, alright. We shall just move on to the lesson. Now then, yesterday you all showed me you skills in battle, but not all of them. I found that a lot of you focused a lot on melee attacks over magic. A good warrior should also be able to handle magic and learn to use them in harmony with physical attacks.

"For now, I just want you to demonstrate what spells you are capable of as of now. From there, I shall determine what needs work and what you have to do to master it." Professor Lucy went down the list of students as they all demonstrate their magic attacks. The only one to not specifically use magic is Ren, but he left his guns at home, so he couldn't use his magic for his bullets. Last but not least, there is me. I had no magic abilities at all. I had never cast a spell nor had I ever been able to sense magic within myself. I tried all the time to see if the exposure might help, but nothing had happened.

"Alright, the last one up is Airu, would you please come up?" I slowly got up and walked down to the front of the class. I turned to face the dummy which everyone had been practicing on. It was torn apart, scorched, crystallized, and poisoned. I put my right hand out, palm facing toward the dummy, and tried to cast a spell.

"Blizzard!" I exclaimed as I tried to cast a simple ice spell. Absolutely nothing. Not even a chill across my hands. _Why can't I cast one spell?_ "Thunder!" Still nothing. "Fire!" Nothing. _This is pointless. I can't do it._ The bell rang as the class got up and began to head down to the lunch room. _Has it really been that long?_ I started to walk out the door when Lucy stopped me.

"Airu, can I speak with you for a few minutes?" He asked.

"I guess," I replied, "What is is?"

"It's about your magic. You seem to being trying to use it from the wrong part of your body."

"Do you realize how creepy that sounded?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "It occurred to me after I said it. What I meant is that your magical energy isn't harnessed through your hands. For a lot of people it isn't. Most of your classmates use some sort of staff to enhance and draw it out through their hands, but very few can cast spells from their hands."

"What do you suggest, I find a magic rapier or something?"

"That is one way, but the other, and probably easier way, is to use your wings."

"What!?" _How did he find out? I never told him!_ _And it is not like I took off my shirt at any point where he could see me._ There was definitely something up with him. "How did you find out?"

"I was cleaning up the sparring ring and I found a couple of feathers. I thought a bird was flying around and got hit until I looked at the feathers closer. Harpy feathers are much larger than that of normal birds. I wasn't sure of who it was until now."

"What gave you the idea it was me?"

"It was hard to see, but whenever you tried to cast a spell, your wings glowed slightly. Also, you are trying to use spells that aren't suited for you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Everyone has some sort of magic element they can harness through items, and each one uses it different. But it seems you are not capable using the common elements."  
"Common elements?"

"Common elements are the basic types of magic; fire, water, lightning, and ice. However, there are more elements that just that. Death, poison, earth, wind, just to name a few. Most people don't know the basis of elementals because most people can use magic items to cast spells, and they allow you to use magic of that element, regardless of skill of capability."

"So what do you suggest?" He reached down in his suitcase and grabbed a t-shirt from within. He then proceeded to take a small knife and cut two slits in the back of it before handing it to me.

"Try this on, I will step into the hall while you change." He walked out of the room, leaving me standing there with the shirt in my hand. _Well, what do it have to lose._ I quickly changed shirts and slipped my wings through the slits in the shirt.

"I am changed!" He walked back into the classroom and stood beside me once more.

"Alright, the spell I am going to teach you is a little more advanced than your simple spells like Fire, but I believe you can cast it just fine."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Aerora. It is a wind spell. Do you know how to cast it?"

"I think I have an idea." I turned toward the dummy as I spread my wings as far as they can go. I pulled them backwards, stretching them further than I had before. "Aerora!" I chanted the name of the spell as I thrust my wings forward with such force that I almost went down myself. A large gust of wind sliced through the air, speeding towards the dummy. Like a blade, the wind cut straight through the dummy, causing cotton to fly everywhere.

"Very good, it looks like that was the right spell." I dropped down to a knee. _Why do I feel so drained?_ "You're going to need a lot of practice. With the fact that you haven't use magic before, and that was a rather strong spell, it will drain you of energy really quick."

"I gathered that." I took a moment to catch my breath before standing back up. "Thanks for the help. Now I am going to eat lunch." I walked towards the door to the classroom before I turned back around. "Oh, and I am keeping the shirt." I walked out the door and start heading to lunch, thankfully it was a full hour long.

* * *

After lunch, the class and I walked back to the room. While we are walking back, Ren decided to talk to me. "So, what did the instructor want to talk to you about?" He asked. I made sure to change shirts before I got to the lunch room, so no one knew my wings were out.

"Oh, he wanted to ask me about my magic," I replied. I didn't want to say anything yet about the spell I just learned. There is still a lot I need to find out first.

"Well, what did he want to know?" _Should I tell him? It would make things easier. Plus I could use the training. I will wait until either Mangus or Morthos asks, they are a lot better with magic anyways._

"Oh, just why I am unable to use it."

"Alright then. Does it seem like he might be able to help?"  
"I don't know, we didn't seem to make any progress."

"Okay then." We continued to walk to class in silence. We took our seats before the bell rang as Lucy strolled in calmly. He made his way to the front of the classroom before turning around to talk to us.

"Well class," he began, "considering how much you all enjoyed some of our great island's history, I decided discuss it a little bit more today. According to the legend, to break the demon's seal, one must sacrifice 10,000 people. This would force the demon to challenge said sacrificer, regardless of the demon's current state. Also, what has been preventing any actions towards this have been the protection barrier placed around the people by the original warriors who defeated it before. Once their lives have ended, the demon can attack.

"Now, some of this may be exaggerated, but I have found evidence that makes me believe that this could in fact be true. Now, are there any questions you have today?"

"How did you find out about this?" asked Mangus.

"I was read about it in some of the towns legends. I like to make it a point to learn about each new place I live in, and the culture that surrounds it."

"Really? I looked into that legend, and I never heard anything about the challenge or the note."

"Well, not all of it comes from the book. You have to talk to people. I met this nice man a few months back and he told me the full story about this disaster. It is a shame that he was killed a few days ago." _Wait, is he talking about the old instructor?_ _And what does he mean by_ _ **the**_ _book?_ _Something was definitely fishy about this guy. But at the same time, what if the legend is true? Maybe I could kill it. It would save the town some worrying, if it ever was worrying, and it would give me a reason to get away from Mother._

"Where do the sacrifices have to occur?" I asked. Everyone turned to me as if I just said something wrong. It was just a question.

"I don't believe it was ever stated, but I would say really anywhere." The bell rang and we were dismissed from class. Another day was over. I began heading home when I realized I forgot my new shirt in the classroom. I told Lutt to go on ahead as I ran back to grab it.

I made it back to the classroom to grab my shirt when I notice Professor Lucy talking to someone. The mystery person was dressed in a brown robe covering his entire body, so I can't see who it was. I put my back to the wall next to the doorway and listened into their conversation. " _How is your class?_ " the person asked. It had a deep, metallic voice. _It must be a guy._

"Very well, everyone seems eager to fight," replied Lucy.

" _And what of the old instructor?_ "

"Dead, everyone is still trying to find out what happened."

" _That's good. And what of the class? Will they be ready?_ "

"Yes they will. The arena will also be set soon."

" _Don't disappoint me._ "

"Don't worry, I also have a backup plan."

" _So you convinced them as well?_ "

"Yes, but I had to use some rather persuasive tactics."

" _That's good. It will be the end for him._ " I heard footsteps coming towards the door. _If I get caught, what will happened?_ Ducking down the hall, I turn the corner and hold my breath until I heard the footsteps fade away. _What was that all about? Arena? Backup? End? Something is very suspicious about Lucy, but what? They talked so broadly about it. Did they know I was listening?_

I shook my head and tried to forget about it as I walked into the classroom. The shirt was sitting on the desk where I left it. As I grabbed it, Lucy, who's back was turned up till that moment, noticed me. "Airu, what are you doing here?" he asked, a little hostile.

"I forgot my shirt," I quickly replied with a snap.

"Alright, no need to get mad." His voice was a little calmer.

"I am not mad."

"Okay, you better get home."

"That's what I am doing."

"Airu wait."

"What now?" _This is getting a little irritating._ I turned around quickly, and made myself a little light headed before blacking out.

* * *

 **Just a little more time, and she will be ready.**

 **Her friends are already under our control.**

 **This will be his end, we will make sure of that. Won't we, Airu.**

* * *

I woke up in my room and sat straight up. My head was pounding and my vision was a little blurry. I sat there for a minute as my vision cleared up before taking the blankets off my body. I was in my nightgown, just like any other night. Going over to my window, I pulled open the curtains as it was bright and sunny out. What time is it? Why can't I remember anything after turning around? I quickly changed into something and ran downstairs to go make breakfast, but when I got there, Mother and Lutt were already eating.

"Good morning Airu," said Mother in a rather annoyed tone. The headache came back, but not as strong. _What is going on?_

"Morning," I replied half-heartedly. I looked at the table and notice there isn't a plate for me. _I guess I will make myself something_. "What happened yesterday? I remember going back to the classroom to grab something I forgot, then I blacked out."

"You seemed fine to me. Nothing out of the ordinary." I sat down at the table with a sandwich and began eating. Mother just looked at me and didn't say anything. _Wouldn't this be the point where she would tell me to wait until they finished eating. This is strange._

"Okay, sorry I wasn't up to make breakfast."

"Just don't let it happen again." Lutt got up from the table and started heading to her room. I finished eating and went up as well. I got ready for class and we made our way down to the school.

* * *

We arrived and made our way to the classroom and took our seats. Not long after we arrived, Professor Lucy walked in through the door. He stops by my desk to talk to me. "How are you feeling Airu?" he asked.

"I have a headache, but that's about it," I answered.

"That's good. You seemed a little dizzy when you came to grab your shirt."

"Thanks for checking on me, but I will be fine."

"Alright." The bell rings and Lucy mades his way to the front of the classroom. "Good morning class. For the next three days, we will be going on a little expedition."

"Umm, what do you mean by expedition?" asked Lomidia.

"Why that is quite simple. I have been given permission to take the class out into the abandoned city in order to search for the machine that allowed the return of the warriors who stopped the demon a good 700 years ago. We will be leaving in a hour, so go ready your weapons, I will be supplying the gear and rations." Lucy placed a large leather backpack on everyone's desk. "Now go change into these, and we shall go." The entire class went down to the locker rooms to get changed.

Once I got into the locker room, I checked my bag. In it were some potions and ethers, as well as some leather armor with fur lining around the collar. I put it on, and it fit perfectly, except for a draft in the back. _Maybe it is time people knew what I could do with them. I don't want to hide them, do I? The only reason I have ever hid them was because of Mother, but she isn't here. Plus, we will be gone for two days._ I took a deep breath and put my wings through the two slits on the back, letting my wings out from their hiding place. _I feel so free._ I quickly get changed and grabbed my weapons before heading back to the classroom.

We got back to the classroom and see that Professor Lucy has also changed into some battle gear. He wore a black leather combat suit and some black spiked gloves. Over his body was a steel bow that also as a few spikes, and a quiver of arrows. He wore some heavy fighter's boots and has a few knives around his belt. He turned to the class and began speaking, "Alright class, make sure your weapons are strapped up and ready to go." He walked over to each student and carefully checked their packs and weapons, making sure everything is good. No one said anything about my wings, however. Maybe nobody really cared.

Professor Lucy got to me and checked the straps on my pack, then moves onto my butterfly swords. "Airu?" he asks.

"Yeah?" I respond.

"I am just looking at how your weapons are equipped, and I noticed you are going to have a hard time drawing your butterfly swords in battle."

"How so?"

"Your wings could get in the way. I have an idea." He took off the scabbards to my weapons and attached them to my wings. "That's better." I spread my wings out to see exactly what he did. Spread just arms length away, my weapons are strapped onto my wings. "Now you should be able to draw your weapons much faster now. Plus, they could also be used as a defensive tool to block attacks you just can't dodge."

"Thanks, I'll try it out."

"Good." He walked back towards the center of the classroom. "Now then, let's move out."

* * *

The sun began to set after hours of walking, and we were still deep within the forest. Along the way, we defeated a few of the repto-slimes that tried to attack us. Other than that, it had been really boring. Professor Lucy finally decided to stop. "Alright class," he began, "This is far enough for now, we are just outside the city now. We will set up camp here, and resume early in the morning. Lomidia and Chen, go gather up some firewood. Mangus, Morthos, and Lutt, stay here and keep watch. Drago and Ren, clear out any nearby repto-slimes to the west. Jaiir, the same but to the east. Airu, you will come with me to see if we can find some food. Everyone meet back here as soon as you are sure your job is done."

We all broke into our different groups and went off into the woods. _I have go with Lucy and hunt. It's fun and all, but why me? Surely Ren would have been a better choice, with his guns. I am pretty sure he has some sort of rifle on hand. It doesn't matter, I will just do whatever I can to help._

We continued on through the forest as the sun quickly sets and it began to grow dark. "Maybe we should turn back," I suggested, "It's getting a little hard to see. Plus, the class might start to ge-" Professor Lucy covered my mouth with his hand. He turned to me with his index finger over his mouth, telling me to be quiet. I nod in acknowledgement to his signal and he lowered his hand.

"We are surrounded," he whispered. I looked around, but I don't see anything. _What is he seeing that I am not._ He quickly drew his bow and fired a shot right over my head. I felt the breeze through my hair as I stood in shock. A hard thump came from behind, followed by a rustle of leaves as something crashed down behind me. I quickly jump back and place my hand on my rapier. _What did he just shoot down? And how did he see it in the dark, behind me?_

"What was that?" I ask in a hushed voice.

"I don't know for sure, but they look like spike shredders."

"I thought those things died off years ago, back when the repto-slimes developed a poison that kills them."

"Obviously not all of them." I heard another rustle coming from my right and Lucy quickly shot an arrow in that direction. The creature crashed to the ground, causing another loud thump. My vision started to adjust to the dark and I can finally make out the shapes of the creatures, mostly because there were two lunging right for me.

I was barely able to leap and avoid the attack as the creatures dug their spikes into the ground. They each had six long arms with spikes for fingers. As I leaped, Lucy quickly turned and fired an arrow into one of the creature's heads, killing it instantly. I drew my rapier and held it below me as another one leapt from the bushes and struck Lucy in the back. I land, driving my blade into the second creature's head and Lucy just stood there in pain. I rushed forward and thrust my rapier into Lucy's attacker, killing another one.

I didn't have time to check on Professor Lucy, who was standing up with a deep wound in his back, before three more leap from the bushes. "I will take the one in front," he said in pain, "Can you take the other two?"

"Yeah, no problem," I replied. I readied myself for any attacks that might come my way. The one on the right attacked first, throwing jabs right and left with all of it's arms. I backed up, avoiding all of the attacks until I ran into a tree. _This isn't good._ The creature lunged forward as I ducked and punched right through the tree. I heard the cracking as the tree began to fall over. I avoided the tree as it crashes down, only to stop right near the second creature. It jabbed and barely nicks my side causing it to bleed, a lot. _Was the cut really that deep?_

Both creatures were in front of me and I didn't think I could really run away. I quickly switched weapons as they slowly walked towards me, almost like they were stalking their prey. _This is just the opening I need._ I pulled my wings back, reading my spell. _Time to see what I can do for real_. "Aerora!" I chanted as I thrusted my wings forward, launching a giant blast of air directly towards the two creatures. The force of the wind sent them flying. The first one blasted directly into a tree, pulverizing it and the tree. The second one got lucky and didn't hit anything, but I was already on top of it. Slashing at its body, I managed to slice it clean in two, sending blood straight onto my clothes. It did manage to get another good shot on me, cutting my face open a little.

I cleaned off my blades as I walk towards where the professor was fighting. He had cuts up and down his arms and was covered in blood. Aside from the wound in his back however, none of them looked that bad. "How are you holding up Professor Lucy?" I asked, actually concerned.

"Well, I feel about thirty years older now," he joked, "Didn't know back pain could start this early. We better start gathering the bodies, we can use them as food. There should be eight around here."

"Seven, one blew up when I launched it into a tree."

"Is the tree okay?"

"It exploded as well."

"Well, either way, round them up so we can take them to camp, they must be worried about us." More leaves rustled from behind us. _If there is more of them, we are screwed._ From that direction, I could hear a voice. _It sounds like… Mangus._ The sound grew closer and I was soon able to make out what is being said.

"Airu… Lucy," Mangus called out.

"Over here!" I yelled, trying to get his attention. Soon the rustling became louder and more frequent as he ran towards us. His staff was lit up like a torch, so we could see a light grow brighter and brighter. Finally he made it to our location.

"There you are," he said, "I have been looking for you guys for a while. Everyone else is back at the camp." He looked at our bodies and finally noticed out wounds. "What the hell happened here."

"We were attacked by a group of spike shredders. We killed eight of them. Help us round of the seven bodies so we can take them, back to the camp."

"I thought you said there were eight." I pointed in the direction of the exploded tree as he shined his light towards it. There was blood dripping everywhere as it covered the tree and the grass with its crimson red stains.

"It kinda exploded when I blasted it into a tree."

"And how did you do that?"

"With my new spell, Aerora."

"You learned one, that's great. Now you guys get back to the camp and send Jaiir to grab this stuff. Also, have Lutt heal your wounds."

"Alright, be careful." Lucy and I began to head back to the camp, trying to keep our wounds from bleeding out too much. We finally made it back to the camp as Jaiir went into the woods to grab the bodies. Lutt healed our wounds and we all sat around the campfire.

Once Mangus and Jaiir arrived, we began cooking some of the meat. I watched as Lutt devoured the raw meat, blood covering her lips and hands. It was a little disgusting, but I didn't mind anymore. I personally waited for my food to be cooked before I chow down. _My only hope is she doesn't find any bodies in the ruins. Lutt can get a little cannibalistic, and I don't think that she would want to eat people from that long ago._

After we ate, we decided to get some sleep, each taking shifts watching over the camp. When morning finally arrived, we all got ready for for the day to come.

* * *

We walked for about another hour before the woods ended, revealing a devastated town. The buildings were broken down, the streets barren, and all color had faded away. Everything was grey and lifeless. Some of the buildings were still intact however. They looked to be made of stone with wooden frames.

"This was the city in which the machine was built," said Lucy. He began walking forward as he continued speaking, "We will be searching for that machine. We will be splitting up into groups of two, just so that everyone has some sort of protection. Strength in numbers. Also, everyone take a flare gun." He handed out flare guns to each of us as well as two flares. One green, and the other red. "The red one is for emergencies only if you run into any enemies you can't handle, shoot the red flare and whoever can see it, run to that location. The green one is for if you find something that could be of major importance, or the machine itself. I don't want anyone dying so use the flares if you really feel you need it.

"Now then, groups. First up is Drago and Chen. Then there is Airu and Jaiir. Next is Lutt and Ren. Lomidia, your with Morthos. Lastly, Mangus is with me. Alright everyone, let's split up and find this machine." We all ran our separate ways, and I was paired up with Jaiir. Jaiir and I made our way to what seemed to be a rather long building that seemed to be in decent condition. We stepped inside and the place was dark. There was the smell of rotting wood and mold in the air and it caused me to gag when I stepped inside.

"Don't let air bother you," said Jaiir.

"Yeah, I'm fine now," I replied, "Remember I am the one who kicked your butt the other day."

"Fluke." Jaiir started walking down the hall, which forced me to run to catch up to him. I looked up to see his head almost touches the ceiling.

"What do you mean 'fluke?' I defeated you and Drago by myself, mostly because you guys were ganging up on me, but I still won."

"Drago land on me."

"Yeah, after I had you pinned down. Plus, I had my blades to your neck and his."

"Drago defeat me and Drago. You take credit."

"Whatever, a win's a win. Let's just get moving." We continued through the musty hallways, checking out different rooms and checking for any clues. After a while we came across a long hallway with one door at the very end. This was the last hall of the building. _Guess we might as well check it out._ As we got closer, I noticed a rather large hole in the wall and ceiling. _We must be on the other side of the building._

While looking out the window, I heard something flying up. _A flare maybe._ The explosion of red fireworks followed soon after, and it was loud. I looked up, seeing a rather large cloud of red in the sky. _Whoever shot the flare, they are close._ "We better go check it out Jaiir!" I shouted back to him before jumping out of the hole. I hit the ground running right out of the alley I was in. Once I am in the middle of the street, I saw Lucy and Mangus dealing with some humanoid creature. I quickly rushed to their aid, rapier already drawn.

The creature was distracted by Lucy as he was trying to push it back, with much resistance. Mangus was on the ground near him, but didn't seem to be dead. Sensing an opportunity, I sprinted toward the creature and thrust my rapier into it's back. Blood began to trickle down it's back and along my blade as it slowly turned around it's teal body, yanking my weapon out of my hand. For the first time, I got a good look at the creature's face. It was the old instructor. _They found his body days ago, how is he here? Is he back from the dead? What is going on?_

My mind was racing with questions as blood continues to coat the blade as well as its body while it just sat there with my sword lodged in its body. It just stared at me with those empty, soulless eyes, until one of them flew out of the socket. More blood poured out of the socket as it's head bobbed around before a hand broke through it like paper. The powerful punch sent blood flying, some of which splashed upon my face. I wiped the blood off my face as the old instructor fell to the ground, adding color to the barren ruins. Lucy stood behind him, hands covered in the crimson red blood that stained the ground.

I retrieved my blade and quickly began to clean it off on the rags the old instructor wore. "What happened?" I asked.

"I don't really know," responded Lucy as he checked on the waking Mangus. "It all happened so fast. We were attacked from behind and it knocked him out. It was strong, and I am lucky you were so close. Thanks for the help."

"Did you really have to punch all the way through it's face?"

"Well, once I broke through the back of his skull, I couldn't stop and sent my hand all the way to the other side. I am worried about how to clean this up." Jaiir finally showed up. _He is really slow, it makes me wonder how he can swing his weapons so fast._

"You look red," he said.

"You can thank Professor Punch for sending his fist through some undead's skull," I replied.

"Let's get back to door."

"Then let's go." I finished cleaning my blade and placed it back in it's sheath. We made our way back through the hole and finished our walk to the door. Something was off though. I got this weird feeling that we weren't the first ones here. _It was probably the distance, but I thought this door was closed before, but now it is slightly ajar._ _It shouldn't matter though._ Jaiir and I proceeded to enter the doorway, and the room became drastically different. The room was huge and had some technological stuff everywhere. _Ren would love this place, and might be able to understand it as well. This could be where the machine is hidden._

I quickly ran back out of the room and fired a green flare into the air. Professor Lucy was the first to show, as he was still on the road from earlier. The others showed up soon after, all pouring into the tech room. Lucy and Ren were looking through all the equipment, discussing what they could do while the rest of us stood around watching them do it. Mangus came over to talk to me and started by saying, "I don't know how you do it."

"Do what?" I asked.

"All of this. You were conveniently right by when we were attacked, and soon after discovered this. Your new magic, taking out a group of spike shredders. And all of this happening because of the professor."

"And what makes you think that?" _Is he saying that I couldn't do any of this myself? Does he think that little of me?_

"Think about it, Lucy comes along right after the old professor is killed and changes the whole dynamic of the class. You learn magic finally and you immediately are able to use it to obliterate a spike shredder. We are attacked by what I can only identify as an undead professor, and it doesn't attack you, but is killed quickly by Lucy. Then not ten minutes later, you find this room. I am not saying you couldn't do it, I am saying that Lucy is hiding something. Maybe this machine means more to him that we think. What if he is trying to revive the demon?" Those last words struck me like daggers. _Revive the demon. The sheer thought of it sickens me, but would it be that bad? We could finally rid of the island of the curse placed upon us, and the looming threat of another attack._

"Would it really be that bad though?"

"I don't know. Just know this, whatever road you choose, we'll follow."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that everyone looks up to you as a leader. We will follow you to the ends of the world, and always stand by you." _What is this?_ Everyone must of heard him, because they all looked at me, nodding their heads in unison. _Why me? They all are swearing loyalty to me like I am a queen, and I kinda like it. But what does this mean? What will happen to us from here?_

"Class, take a look over here," announced Lucy. We all looked at the structure that has been sitting in the room off to the side. "This is it. Ren, can you see if you can turn it on using that computer over there." Ren rapidly moved his fingers across the device, making it glow brightly in the dark room. After hitting one last key, a bright blue light appeard in machine. It slowly expanded from the center to the very edges of the machine. Then it began swirling, almost like a whirlpool, but nothing was being sucked in. I could hardly make it out but Lucy whispered something like, "They're here."

We stood there in awe for a few minutes gazing upon our discovery before we shut it off. After that, we marked the building and set off for home. Over the long trip back, I couldn't help but try to get that thought out of my head. _Everyone swearing loyalty to me, and I didn't do anything. And would killing the demon be that bad. No one would have to worry anymore. Wait! If we killed the demon, then we would have to kill practically everyone else just to summon it. I mean some people I wouldn't mind being dead, but not everyone. Would I even be able to live with myself?_

 _The bigger question is why the old professor was there? He should've been dead and buried by now. Though he didn't look right, that bluish tint to his skin was really off. Undead aren't unheard of, but even Morthos isn't capable of making use of a body that fresh. And it was really strong, able to push Lucy back. But Lucy was able to punch through his skull. Was it really all a plan to kill the demon like Mangus said? This is really starting to stress me out._

* * *

We made it back to the school the next day without any complications. We all showered and changed before heading back home. It felt really weird stuffing my wings back in my shirt after having them free for so long. Lutt and I made our way up the mountain to our house and walked in. Mother was sitting in her chair waiting for us to come home, and she looked pissed. "Lutt, go to your room for a few minutes sweetie," she said in an unusually cheery tone. She did it so Lutt didn't have listen to what is going to be said, and Lutt happily made her way upstairs. Her tone changed quickly as she said, "About time you got home."

"Sorry," I replied, "The professor took us on a three day expedition. He didn't let the families know?"

"You took your sister for three days in that dangerous wasteland! You're lucky she didn't get hurt, or I would've personally kicked you out of the house!" Her voice raised quite quickly, and her anger erupted from within her.

"It's not my fault, I didn't know about it until the day of!" We were both yelling at this point. I am pretty sure Lutt could hear us.

"You didn't bother to tell me where you were going! For all I know, Lutt was dead!"

"That's all you care about, Lutt and her life! What about me?! Am I not important to you?! Just admit it, you wouldn't care if I died! I am just a servant to you!"

"That you are, so do your job and clean this damn house! Cook my food and follow my commands, and just maybe I will feed you! You should feel lucky!"

"Why should I?!"

"Because without me you would of been on the streets starving!"

"Oh, you did that! I remember you were going to leave me on the streets anyways, but my sister wouldn't leave me alone!"

"Maybe I should of, you have caused nothing but trouble!"

"And how have I done that?! For having wings?! For trying to do my best to please you?! You have done nothing but torment and dismiss me as nothing more than a servant! Do you even think of me as your child?!"

"No I don't, because you and your kind are disgusting, useless, bird-brained savages who should all be dead by now! I never wanted you to begin with!" _Me and my kind are what?_ I was getting really furious with her.

"You are nothing more than a self-centered, heartless, abusive, bi-!" I couldn't even get the word out before Mother slapped me across my face. It's like everything went silent, and all I heard was the ring of slap. That and the voices in my head that told me to do something I wouldn't of thought of doing until then. _And I think they are right._ I quickly yanked me head back and brought my right hand with me. Connecting with Mother's jaw, my fist sent her head back. She lowered her head back down slowly, laughing as she did so.

"Ha ha ha ha, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"What moment?"

"The moment, where I can finally put you down like the like the little pest you are. Prepare to die, harpy!" Mother swung her fist hard, nailing me in my face. I staggered back, but she was already on top of me, getting in another clean shot. I fell back again, and this time I was ready. Mother came at me, swinging her right arm. I quickly blocked it with my left and brought my right knee into her gut. She keeled over and I drove my elbow into her back until she dropped to the ground. From there, she tripped me and I hit my head on the cushion of the chair.

We both quickly got up and glared at each other. There was nothing but hate in the air. _There will be no love lost tonight_. I swung my right arm, which caught her in the jaw and sent her stumbling back towards the kitchen. I went for a left hook, but it was blocked by Mother. Grabbing my arm, she dragged me around her and tossed me over the counter, knocking over dishes onto the floor. I fell on a pile of broken plates that dug into my back as I felt the blood begin to trickle. I could hear Mother come around the counter so I quickly grabbed the first thing I can find. It just happened to be a whisk.

Grabbing me by the hair, she pulled me up to my feet. Rapidly turning, I swung the whisk as hard as I can, but it did nothing but slap her across the face. Not fazed by the attack, Mother lashed out with a headbutt that sent me backwards into the sink. I reached down into the sink, grabbing a pan while I tried to regain my balance. Mother wasn't letting up, coming towards me once more. This time, however, my attack worked. The frying pan connected with her face, sending her over the counter and onto the floor.

I walked around the counter on the side of the glass door leading to the courtyard when I was viciously tackled by Mother. We shattered the door and rolled through the broken glass, leaving more cuts all over our bodies. Both of us got up and Mother looked at me with a horrific face. The hit from the pan destroyed her nose and replaced it with a bubble of blood that drizzled down her face. Mother tried to get me with a right hand, but I blocked and hit her with one of my own, squirting blood from the remains of her nose.

Once again she grabbed my hair, but this time she threw me down face first. I tried to get up, but Mother drove her foot into my head, slamming it back into the ground and forced me to eat dirt as a rock digs into my cheek. I rolled out of the way before she can land a second stomp. With blood flowing everywhere, I began to wonder how this will end. I know we wouldn't stop until one of us is dead, and there was no way I was going to let her live anymore.

Mother came at me with a right hand which nailed me in the jaw. I stumbled back as she tried for another tackle, but I managed to sidestep it and sent her into the window behind me. Before she had a chance to get up, I quickly launched a roundhouse kick aimed for her face. It connected and sendt her through the glass, some of which was already stained red. I hopped through the opening of the house, only to be met with a hard fist to the face. Falling back, I tried to regain my balance but in doing so, I slid my left arm across a shard of glass sitting in the windows sil. It quickly began to bleed, and with a fair amount of blood pouring from the wound.

I took a look around and noticed that we were in the armory. _The last thing this fight needs is more weapons._ Mother noticed it too, and rushed to the nearest case. I ran to one as well, knowing she was going to try and kill me with whatever she finds. We turned, almost simultaneously, with weapons drawn. _I should've known what her choice was going to be, and out of habit I choose the same._ Standing across from each other, we faced one another with the weapon we knew best, the rapier.

Mother attacked first with blinding speed, but I managed to block every attack just fine. We trained like this for years, so I knew her movements well. She let up for half a second and I struck, but she was quick to block. It was a collage of parries, blocks, and attacks. We were evenly matched in this sense, that was until a wild strike got through my defenses. I tried to sidestep it, but it caught my shirt, ripping it in the back and exposed my wings.

I was quickly knocked to the ground as Mother swept me off my feet. I landed on my stomach and Mother quickly climbed on top of me. I struggled to get her off, but I couldn't. She began talking to me, pulling out a knife at the same time. "I told you already," she said, "If I ever caught you using your wings, I was going to cut them off." She plunged the knife into my left wing, pinning it down to the ground. I screamed in pain as she wiggled the knife around in the wound, staining my wing with the crimson red color of my blood. _I have to get her off._

I pushed my other wing as far down into the ground as I could. _I haven't tried to use this spell in reverse before, but it is my only chance._ "Aerora!" I shouted, pushing my wing up as fast as I could. The spell sent Mother flying into the wall, cracking it a little. As I got up, I realized the knife still pinned my wing to the ground. I howled in agony as I ripped it out of my left wing, allowing the blood to run down it. The knife was coated with my blood as well, and it slowly dripped it onto the ground.

Mother tried to get up, but struggled due to the impact. It was possible that I broke a few of her vertebrae. I knew that if she got up, this fight would drag out even longer. Taking the knife that was just logged into my wing, I threw it towards Mother, hoping to hit her in the head. She quickly shots up, almost as if she was faking the injury, and tried to charge at me. Unfortunately for her, the knife impaled her knee. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I rushed forward and punched the knife farther into her knee, destroying her kneecap but it didn't come out the back. _I think I just punched it into her leg, but that's good. Any movements causes her insides to be cut up, and if she takes it out, she will lose a lot of blood._

Not giving her a choice I swept her legs, putting her on the ground. She yelped in pain as the knife ripped through various muscles and veins that were within her leg. I tried to get on top of her, but she pushed me off with her other leg. I fell back as she got up, obviously favoring her leg. The floor, glazed with our blood, which made it hard to tell whose is whose. Mother just stood at the other side with a knife in her knee and the wall cracked behind her.

 _I know what to do now._ I started sprinting towards Mother and dropped my shoulder. Not expecting the attack, Mother sat there in shock as I furiously tackled her with such force that sent the two of us soaring into the air. We went straight back into the wall, and burst through it sending a large cloud of dust and rubble everywhere. Her head hit the stairs as we landed, cracking it open more as blood continued to be spilled. On top of her, I began to punch her again in the deformed face, letting the blood flow from the pocket where her nose once was.

With another kick, she knocked me off of her again. I was quick to react as I attempted for another hit, but she blocked it and stood up. Grabbing my arm, she tossed me onto the steps back first. I could feel the stairs crack from the force. I sat up rapidly and ducked to avoid a kick from Mother. As I stood, she tried to hit me with a right hook, but I blocked and repeated what she did to me. She luckily landed on the top of the steps, so the damage was lessened. While she rested on her hands and knees with her head bent, I sent a massive kick her way. It connected with her face knocking her back down.

I went for a second one, but she moved out of the way at the last second, giving her a chance to get up. I backed up a little into my room now. Mother, desperate to kill me, pulled the knife out of her knee, immediately coating her pants and leg with blood. Looking around as I back up more, all I could find was a chair to defend myself. Mother charged at me with the knife, so I didn't really have a choice. In an instant, I lifted my desk chair made of wood and send it crashing over her head. She fell back stunned and the chair exploded into splintering wood, but she doesn't stay that way.

Again Mother tried to stab me, but I dodged and got behind her, next to a pile of wood. One of the legs was still somewhat intact. Mother turned around, and readied herself once more. With one final thrust she stabbed at me with the knife, but I dropped down to avoid it and impailed her with the piece of wood from the chair. The wood entered into her side, and blood began to run down it. She backed up towards the window with the red wood still within her body. _I have no choice but to finish this._

Finally hitting the window, she stood there with little energy left, but I knew that given the chance, she would use it up to kill me. I was starting to fade as well as my vision slowly got darker, but I had to finish this. I walked towards her as she began to talk. "What now, you going to kill me," she taunted, "Or do you not have the guts to do that? Face it, you would be nothing without me. I am your savior, so bow down before me."

"We both know I wouldn't," I retorted. "I would rather be nothing that be your daughter."

"And what about Lutt, what would she think if you killed me?"

"If she has to hate me, I don't care. All I want is for you… TO GO TO HELL!" With those last words, I turned and unleashed a lethal kick that landed underneath her jaw, shattering her bones and the glass behind her. She fell out from the force of the kick. I watched as she fell from the second floor and landed on her neck. _I did it, I killed Mother. And it felt, good. The adrenaline, the blood, everything was so right. Why didn't I do this sooner? It was so fun. The death of a few hundred thousand doesn't seem too far-fetched now. Maybe I, no we, can kill that demon._

"Airu?" spoke Lutt. _How much did she see? How long has she been standing there, in the doorway of my room?_

"What is it?" I replied. My vision was starting to fade even more. _The blood loss is really bad, if I can just get Lutt to heal me._

"Are you okay, you look a little banged up?"

"It's just a scratch, but do you mind patching me up?" I was slowly losing consciousness. Everything kept going black for a few seconds before it would come back to me.

"Sure, but where is Mother? I know you two were sparring in the armory, but then you guys weren't there and the wall had a hole in the wall."

"I put her to sleep. If you want to see her, check the courtyard by all the broken glass." Everything went black. As I fell onto my bed I could barely hear Lutt call out my name. Shifting into unconsciousness, I give her one quick smile.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes. The sun was bright and the birds were chirping, or crying for help. I could never be sure with Lutt around. _I can't stay in bed forever._ I got up and got dressed like a normal day to prepare breakfast, then I remembered. _Mother is dead_. I made my way down and examined the damage we caused. In the kitchen, there were broken dishes everywhere and trails of red that lead outside. Broken glass covered the ground as I walked into the courtyard for a nasty surprise.

I saw in a pile of broken glass and blood, Lutt happily chewing on one of Mother's arms. The sight of Lutt eating the amputated body part forced me to gag and almost puke. Noticing this, she put down the arm and ran over to me, but she didn't look upset. _Why am I not surprised by this?_

"Airu," she began, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," I replied, "I see you found Mother."

"Yeah, she is tastier than I thought she was going to be."

"Can we please not talk about eating her? Seeing you eat her almost made me barf."

"Sorry. So why did you kill her?"

"Because if I didn't, she would've killed me." A knock on the door interrupted our conversation. "I will get that." _Who could it be? Not many people know where I live, and no one comes around either way._ I opened the door and standing on the other side was Lucy. _How did he find out where I live?_ "Professor Lucy, what a surprise. What brings you here?"

"Well, I have been thinking," he began, "And I have noticed you all were really interested in the legend. So I have to ask, do you want to make it a reality? Do you want to kill a demon?" The question sent me aback. _Is he really asking this? How crazy is he? There is only one real choice._

"When do we start?"

* * *

The next three years were filled with nothing but bloodshed and death. One by one, we slaughtered the entire island, with Lucy being there almost every step of the way. It wasn't until the last few months that he suddenly disappeared. By then, almost everyone was dead, disposed of in the volcano. The one's surviving were me and my class. We received a message from him after two warriors show up. Lucy reveals that in order to revive the demon now, we had to kill the warriors who stop him and lived. Using the machine, we tried to bring them to the ruins, but it malfunctioned and sent the targets all over the island.

After that we sent out to kill them, but we were stopped the first time. Now, we stopped them on the volcano, except two of them.

* * *

I look up into the blank emotion of Rage. He just sits there, not moving. _If he won't kill me, I guess I will just kill him._ I manage to lift my blades up as I stand myself up. "You won't quit will you?" he asks.

"I'm still living, right?" I reply. I swing my blades at him, but he just blocks the with his arm. I drop my blades and fall down to the ground as blood drips from my nose.

"What are you fighting for?"

"What do you mean by that?" Rage just sits down in front of my like an old friend.

"I can tell by looking into your eyes that you have been surrounded by death. What is worth it to kill?"

"I have to defeat the demon. It ravaged the land around seven hundred years ago. If I could kill it now, it could be stopped while it was weakened." Rage looks stunned at my comment.

"This is where it happened. This is the island. I tried to put that behind me but I guess the past catches up to you."

"What are you going on about now?"

"This may come as a shock, but I was the demon. I went a little psycho and kinda transformed. How did you find out about that?"

"It was Lu-"

"That is enough now Airu!" exclaims a voice from behind me. I manage to stand up finally and turn around. Standing there is an unfamiliar man dressed in a pair of black pants and a black shirt. He also has a black leather jacket with an offsetting orange armband with a logo the says 'HMK.'

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I am HMK," he replies, "Consider me the backup." _Is this who Lucy was talking to or about so long ago._ "Me and my crew have come to finish what you guys failed to do."

"Crew?" asks Rage, "So there is more of you?"

"Yes there is. Now then, time to dispose of the dead weight." He summons a black blade similar to Roxas's. It's very jagged along one edge that ends with two large yellow spikes with a white stripe down the middle of it. Written on the white are some very confusing symbols. The hilt has a grey color and is shaped similar to Roxas's black blade. He brings the blade down as I brace for the impact.

Everything goes dark with my eyes closed. I don't feel the pain of death. _Was I ended quickly?_ I open my eyes to the same cavern we are in. Standing in front of me is Rage, blocking the attack with his golden blade. _What is he doing?_ He starts to say something, "I guess if she is useless to you, you won't mind if I take her off your hands." HMK hops back, bringing his blade near his own head.

"Unfortunately, that is not an option," he replies, "Lay down your weapon and I will make your death swift."

"Unfortunately, that is not an option."

"Then let's get hectic." The two warriors clash in battle as I slowly drift into unconsciousness. It may be the end, but I am still alive.

* * *

 **And that, my friends, was Harpy of Death: Genocide. I wrote this about eight months ago, and felt that it should have some impact in the story's progression. This also shines some light on Airu's past, more so than her talking about it, as it was told through her eyes. This also probably brought in more questions than answers, but in due time, so will fall into place.**

 **Also, the last comment about HMK. Back when I was writing the Isle of Warriors for it's true purpose, I contacted the X-Keepers and they allowed me to use them as characters. They serve as the final bosses of the game in which the fights were; Sora(Kingdom Hearts) v SoraAlam, Carrie (OC) v Cynical, MoonKoolaid v SkywardWing, and RagingKey v HMK.**

 **Anyways, that you all for sticking through this special. Don't expect another one of these anytime soon, as this was a pain just to edit. I am pretty sure the AN will bring this up from 17,955 to 20,000 if I keep talking like this.**

 **Was there anything else, ah yes! Special thanks to shadowmare for the follow of this story. It means so much when I get those, so thank you for that. Even with only 4,500 views, this has been a great story so far and there is much more to come. When we get back on Friday, we will begin the first of four battles against RKWL, Ruby vs Kimahri. Again thank you, and see you next time.**

 _ **Correction, this only got up to 19,000 words for the special chapter after the Author's Notes, so I am not that great at guessing. Oh well, still long and gives you guys plenty to read when you take a shit. Have a good day, and see you all on Friday.**_


	33. Chapter 31: RKWL I - Kimarhi

**Alright, sorry I am late with this by a day. I was busy with homework yesterday, and I got a little sidetracked with a special project on the side that I have been working on. Nothing to worry about yet, but when it is done I will let you guys know. After the last special for this story, however, this chapter will be a lot shorter I know. But, we will get constant fighting, and actually show the main cast of RWBY fighting their own battles.**

 **This will be the first RKWL fight, and it is Ruby vs Kimahri, scythe vs lance.**

 **Also, special thanks to the following for the follow and or favorite of this story:**

 **Follow: rizuki505 and Kyubbiman**

 **Favorite: Gintoki, rizuiki505, and Kyunniman**

 **Thank you guys so much for the support. And if anyone has questions, leave reviews. I would love to answer them and receive your suggestions.**

 **Anyways, let's just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 31: RKWL I - Kimahri**

Darkness. Darkness everywhere. Ruby looks around at the darkness that surrounds her. Slowly, a cold breeze turns into gusts of snowy winds. The ground soon becomes white with the snow and a sky soon rises in the distance. Large walls of rock surround her as she stands in confusion. She looks to the mountain that contains her, and notices the walls cover three sides, the last leads to a snowy cliff.

A dark vortex appears in front of Ruby, prompting her to draw her weapon. It soon begins to take the shape of one of the figures from before. The vortex disappears revealing a tall lion-like creature with blue fur. Its hair and beard are colored white as it is held back in a ponytail while braided on both sides. There is a broken ivory horn in the center of its forehead and there are little bits of leather armor to cover its body.

"Who are you?" demands Ruby as she holds Crescent Rose in sniper rifle mode.

"Kimahri Ronso," replies the beast as it readies its weapon. The voice of Kimahri makes Ruby believe that it is male. In his right hand is the Spirit Lance. It is a long spear with a brown handle the sports feathers near the blade. The blade itself has a double-edge, double-bladed edges with a pointed head on top. "You will die here, in the sacred land of Mt Gagazet."

"Not if I can help it."

"Little girl can't stand up to Kimahri, but will die trying." The Ronso raises his left hand in front of his face and closes his eyes. Ruby fires at him, but he dodges and swings his arm at her, sending a fireball at the girl. Thinking fast, Ruby ducks underneath and switches her weapon to its scythe form. The two look to each other once more before rushing toward one another.

Ruby swings her weapon up but Kimahri blocks the attack with his lance. He thrusts his lance forward and she moves her head to the right to avoid the attack. Their weapons clash at the two fight for control while keeping their distance.

The Ronso blocks a swipe from the girl, causing her to stagger. Taking his chance, Kimahri stabs forward only to impale a rose petal. Before he can react, Ruby appears behind him and slashes his back and draws blood. He howls in pain as he turns to the girl whose scythe is now dripping with blood. Swings his lance in anger, he attempts to take her head but she knocks the attack to the side with Crescent Rose and delivers another wound across his chest.

Kimahri staggers back and looks at the girl once more, only to see her disappear into rose petals again. He notices the trail moving to his left and swings his spear in time to block her attack. Ruby and the Ronso struggle for power, which the later has more of. With one fluid motion, he pushes away the girl and manages to land a glancing blow across her arm, tearing her clothes and draws blood.

Ruby uses her Aura to heal the wound and turns back to her opponent. "You have interesting ability, little girl," comments Kimahri, "Kimahri thinks he will take it for himself. Lancet!" Pushing his chest forward, he sends a wave of energy toward Ruby. The wave hits her in the chest and draws two small lights from her and brings it back to the Ronso. Once the lights return to him, his wounds begin to heal as the skin repairs itself.

Ruby looks in shock at his ability to drain her Aura to heal himself and fails to notice the Ronso disappear into a trail of blue rose petals. On instinct, she brings her scythe up to block the attack, but still manages to get pushed back into a wall. Without wasting time, the Ronso sends a large chunk of ice at her. She manages to roll out of the way, only to be kicked in the face and knocked back into the wall.

Before she can move or react, she is hit with a bolt of lightning that sends shock waves through his body. She regains her senses in time to avoid another Thunder spell and speeds toward the Ronso with her Semblance. Raising her weapon above her head, she attempts to cleave his body, but only hits blue petals. Confused, she fails to notice the attack from behind and receives a slash across her upper back that tears her cloak.

Ruby manages to stumble away and face her opponent once more, still confused about how he used her Semblance. "How are you using my Semblance?" she questions.

"Ronsos can use Lancet to learn the abilities to adversaries and use them themselves," replies Kimahri, "It also heals wounds and replenishes magic levels, allowing for Kimahri to survive and cast more spells. You have lived long enough, it's time to end this." Kimahri holds his spear in front of his chest and begins to pour energy into it. Once it has enough, he points it at the girl and chants one word, "Doom!"

In front of Ruby appears a small spirit dressed in black and has boney hands. The spirit raises its hands above its head before bringing them down upon Ruby. A black mist surrounds her body as she starts to feel weaker. She looks up to see red numbers above her head reading '10:00.' "What did you do to me?"

"Doom places a counter upon someone when cast. If the caster is not killed or forced to revoke it, the person affected will die when the counter reaches zero. You have ten minutes to kill Kimahri, but that doesn't mean he won't try to kill you as well. Fira!" Another, more powerful, fireball races toward Ruby as she makes it back to her feet, only to be hit in the chest by it.

The spell sends her backwards, causing her to roll through the snow and stop near the edge. Pulling herself to her feet, she looks to the Ronso as another fireball races toward her. Thinking fast, she sprints off to avoid the fireball and charges Kimahri. Ruby swings her scythe around toward his waist to which he blocks with his lance and casts Blizzard at point blank range. Ruby is sent flying toward the mountain wall once more and manages to jump off the wall as opposed to crashing into it this time.

The Ronso swings his lance upward to block the next strike from her scythe, but does so too late and a shallow cut appears on his arm. Combining her Semblance and the recoil from her sniper rifle, Ruby swings her weapon much faster and scores a few hits upon Kimahri. She swings Crescent Rose down with force to cut the Ronso in half, who manages to sidestep the attack only to receive an axe kick to the back of the head.

Ruby removes her weapon from the ground as Kimahri staggers back while holding the back of his head. His blue fur now stained red in places as cuts cover his body. None too deep, but the one on his chest is bleeding quite a bit. The limited armor is now torn as he looks to Ruby. Her clothes are torn in places and scorched in others and any minor wounds she had have been healed.

"Lancet!" chants the Ronso as he once again drains Ruby of her health to recover her wounds. No longer worrying about bleeding out, he checks the time above her head, '6:30.' Six and a half minutes until Ruby would be dead. Noticing this too, she quickly charges after the Ronso as she swings her weapon with fury. Kimahri blocks every attack and pushes her back towards the cliff. Ruby quickly charges once more, this time using her Semblance as she disappears into rose petals. Kimahri does the same and the two clash with each other, leaving only sparks and petals in their wake.

Ruby swings up and lands an attack across the Ronso's chest, leaving a deep cut. He retaliates by stabbing forward, thrusting the Spirit Lance into Ruby's gut. The two disengage as they examine their wounds. Kimahri was losing blood fast as was Ruby, but neither was going to give up. They looked at the time, '2:30.' "Give it up little girl!" commands Kimahri, "You have no time left, you have lost to Kimahri!"

"Really?" she asks with a smug look, "I don't think that counter says zero yet. So until then I will keep fighting. My team needs me. I won't let them down!" Ruby vanishes as she charges the Ronso once again. Kimahri follows the trail and catches her face with his left hand.

He brings her in front of his face and looks into her eyes. "It's time you left this place," he says before tossing her up into the air. As she begins to fall, he gathers energy in his foot as he booms, "Thrust Kick!" With massive power, he drives his foot into Ruby's gut as she is sent flying toward the mountain wall once again, causing it to crack and allow some snow to fall.

Aura, gone. Energy, low. Vision, blurry. Ruby staggers out of the hole in the wall as she stares down her opponent. Kimahri notices she is alive, as well as her time, '1:00.' All she has is one minute, but even that long could be enough for her to kill him. Not wasting a moment, the Ronso charges at the girl, still disoriented from the previous kick. Kimahri grabs his lance with both hands as he charges in with the speed he stole. With a trail of blue petals behind him, he stabs forward and drives his lance with what he stabbed into the wall, eyes closed.

Opening them, he finds not a girl in between his lance and the wall, but a single rose petal. He looks to his right and sees Ruby pointing her gun at him as she fires two shots. The first one nails the Ronso in the knee, leaving him wounded and unable to move well. The second, the mountain beside him. Thinking she missed, he laughed, laughed at her missed opportunity as her time lowers to thirty seconds. Then the ground begins to rumble as snow begins to fall.

Kimahri looks up to see the avalanche she caused roll down on top of him, trapping him in ice. Before he can move, Ruby charges in and hooks his neck with her scythe. She spins around as her counter reaches twenty seconds. Now facing the back of his head, she stares at it with her blade hooked around his neck. "Nice try, Kimahri," she whispers as she pulls the trigger one last time. Crescent Rose moves in response to the recoil as the blade cuts through the neck, and separates the head from the body.

Knowing the battle is won, Ruby looks up to see her counter reading '0:10' before finally disappearing. The leader of Team RWBY breathes a sigh of relief before doubling over in pain as the stab to her gut continues to bleed. She pushes through the pain as she notices the world around her returning to black once more, leaving nothing but the creation of Seymour. A replica of Kimahri Ronso, now dead.

* * *

 **Well, he is dead. Granted he was a fake, but it was the only way to get out. Pretty evenly matched and tactics won in the end. But that is in the past, an now we will move on to the next fight. Can you guess?**

 **If you guessed: Weiss vs Lulu, you would be right. I will see you all Tuesday, so have a good weekend.**


	34. Chapter 32: RKWL II - Lulu

**I am back, and on time today. Which is good because exactly O people complained, or at least left a review saying they complained. Don't I be afraid to ask questions if you have them. Either way, today's chapter will be part 2 of RWBY vs RKWL, which you can probably guess who they are by now. This fight will be Weiss vs Lulu, the elemental masters of the two groups.**

 **I am just going to mention now, in case you couldn't tell by the first fight, that their abilities will be modified to fit the need of the battle. Since all characters can learn all abilities, it makes sense that they can use most of them, so that is why they can do that, so don't be surprised when Lulu uses white magic.**

 **Other than that, all that remains is for you all to sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 32: RKWL II - Lulu**

Darkness is all that can be seen as Weiss Schnee opens her eyes. To her right, to her left, all that exists is darkness. Then color begins to pour into the dark world around her, replacing the black nothingness with grey walls of rock. The heiress looks around at the new scenery as she grips her weapon. Looking around the cavern, she notices pyreflies floating around and drifting off.

"It is quite peaceful, is it not?" a mysterious female voice questions. Turning back around, Weiss looks toward the woman who she can assume asked the question. "The Cavern of the Stolen Fayth is quiet and calming at times. It will make a perfect resting place, don't you think?" Before Weiss can react, the woman swings her left arm forward and sends a fireball towards the heiress.

Taking the hit, Weiss rolls back and regains her footing as she draws her rapier. Despite the dirt in her eyes, she manages to get a good look at her attacker. She wears a low-cut black dress that exposes more of her breasts than Yang, with the lower half consisting of more belts than a bondage convention. Her jet black hair is braided then put into a bun using four hair pins. Her red eyes show no emotion, like the rest of her face, as she carries a weird doll that looks like a knight in her right hand.

"You managed to survive a Fira," observes the woman, "Impressive, but you won't be leaving her alive."

"Then I better make sure to kill you so I can go home," replies Weiss, "Just who are you anyways?"

"Of course! How rude of me not to introduce myself to the heiress of the SDC!"

"Cut the crap!" The black haired woman chuckles softly.

"You may call me Lulu, but I can assure you won't be saying much of anything after this."

"Over my dead body!"

"That's the plan." The two ready their weapons as they face each other. They say nothing as they stare into each other's eyes. A pyrefly floats towards the ground acting as a silent signal of when to start. Once the blue and green light touches the ground, a white blur quickly replaces it as she charges the black mage.

Weiss thrusts forward with a series of jabs, all of which are either dodged or blocked by the doll in her hand. Lulu fires back with Blizzara that knocks Weiss to the side. The heiress rolls on her side before getting back to her feet, using her Aura to heal any minor wounds. "I need to go faster," she mumbles to herself.

Focusing, Weiss creates a glyph under her feet with a clock design as she feels the orange energy wash over her as her body begins to feel lighter and more agile. She charges forward again, moving to the side to avoid another fireball, and stabs rapidly. While the black mage manages to avoid some of the sword strikes, Lulu gets hit with many more. She now has two cuts along her right arm, three on her left, and a long cut across the gut. None of them are deep, but they could prove to be damaging later.

Switching her doll to her other hand, Lulu places her right arm to her chest and a green glow forms in her palm. "Heal my wounds!" she chants, "Cura!" The green glow explodes from her hand and covers her entire body. Once the glow clears, the wounds slowly begin closing up, leaving the tears and blood stains to show there was ever a wound. Weiss grumbles causing Lulu to smirk at her frustration.

Now ticked off, Weiss charges in once more, firing off two shards of ice followed. Lulu simply waves her left arm and uses Fira to destroy them. Knowing what her plan was now, the black mage also casts Thundara. Using the rapier as a lightning rod, the spell travels through Mynstranal and shocks Weiss as she drops to the ground. Lulu turns to Weiss and raises her left arm towards the heiress.

"This might help your complexion!" chants the black mage as a green energy forms in her hand. Unlike the healing spell however, this is dark green and is quite bubbly. "Bio!" Weiss lifts her head to the blast of the spell, sending her back as she rolls across the ground.

As she gets back to her feet, Lulu taunts her again, "What do you know, green is a good color on you." Confused, Weiss uses her weapon as a mirror to look at her face, now a jade green color coupled with a very sickly feeling.

"What did you do to me?!" questions Weiss as she demands answers.

"Nothing much, just poisoned you a little." Before she can respond, the heiress doubles over as pains stabs into her stomach. "This particular sends pain a regular intervals, draining you of your health. You will face death soon enough." Lulu fires another Fira spell at Weiss, causing her to fly into a nearby wall.

Weiss stumbles from the wall as she looks to her adversary when an idea comes to her. "I haven't tried this before," she mutters to herself, "I hope this works." Focusing her Aura, Weiss creates another glyph under her feet, this time in the shape of a green star. The energy from the glyph washes over her as the poison slowly clears from her body.

"I see that you can use Esuna," comments Lulu, "But that won't be enough to stop me!"

"No, but this will slow you down!" Weiss waves her rapier around as another glyph appears below the black mage. Similar to the one used to boost Weiss's speed, this one also looks like a clock. However, unlike the other one, the hands move in reverse with a darker black to it as opposed to a burnt orange. The black energy washes over the black mage, causing her to move much slower.

"I see, well then," Weiss charges in and unleashes another flurry of slashes and stabs before she can finish. Cuts quickly form over her body as Weiss brings her arm back for the finishing blow. Thrusting her blade for Lulu's chest, the blade doesn't pierce her heart but instead clashes with the metal sword from her doll, "I guess I won't have to hold back so much."

The black mage pushes Weiss away with her doll as she switches hands slowly to use her right hand. "Remove these blessings and curses!" she chants, "Dispel!" A blue shield surrounds the body of the black mage as she swings her arm down. A second later, the shield shatters and her speed returns.

"That was a useful trick, princess, but I don't think that will help you anymore." She slowly begins to gather more energy into her left hand, still holding the Onion Knight doll. "Oh Yevon, please lend your strength so that the Onion may fight!" she chants, "Bring forth the power to restore his forever legendary might!" The energy begins to swirl around the doll now, causing wind to pick up inside the cavern. "Allow once more for thee to stand at my side, Onion Knight!"

From the doll a bright light shines, blinding the two for a moment. When their eyes finally adjust, the doll no longer rests in the hands of the black mage, but instead stands beside her with its blade drawn and ready.

"You think that now you have a warrior, you can stand up to me?" taunts Weiss.

"No, I think he can stand up to you, I will just be assisting," retorts Lulu. Not wanting to be hit first, Weiss quickly shifts her weapon to its wind Dust and sends a large gust of wind at the black mage, causing her to stumble back. Charging in, the Onion Knight swings his blade with the intentions to remove the head of the heiress, only for it to meet the blade of said heiress. Knocking the attack away, Weiss stabs at the former doll, only to find it isn't in front of her. A kick in the back reveals its location, sending her into the opposing wall.

She turns around to find the giant blade coming towards her as she ducks underneath, allowing her attacker to get his blade stuck in the wall. Using the distraction, Weiss checks her scroll to find her Aura levels at around 30%. Shaking her head in disgust, she resumes her assault on the Onion Knight.

Her blade manages to cut through the armor quite easily, only to find nothing but cotton underneath. Quickly formulating a plan, she steps back and changes her dust chamber to red. The Onion Knight, now with his blade free of the wall, slams it down hard to the ground at Weiss, only to miss. The attack manages to send rock everywhere though, some of it crashing into her while airborne. The rock sends her flying to the ground, dropping her Aura even more.

As she struggles to get back up, the Knight slashes horizontally, barely missing her by a hair. Using this to her advantage, she charges in, avoiding the crashing fist from her right side, and impales the doll in the chest. He staggers back for a moment, but looks in confusion as to why she in remaining there. It becomes apparent when the blade begins to heat up as a fire burns in the Onion Knight's chest.

Realizing too late, he tries to toss the heiress off, only for her not to be there. In her place is an ever growing fire that uses the cotton as fuel. Using his hand, the Onion Knight tries to put out the flames, only for it to catch on fire as well. Watching the knight struggle brings a smile to Weiss's face. Slowly, but soon enough, the Onion Knight is reduced to nothing but a pile of ash.

Turning back to the black mage, the heiress notices a new doll in her hands, this time in the shape of a Cactuar. "Impressive," complements Lulu, "You managed to destroy my Onion Knight. That won't help you though. It was nice knowing you!" The black mage raises her left arm once more as dark energy begins to swirl in her hand. "Death!"

The dark energy flies toward Weiss, stopping mean inches from her face as it forms into a spirit with a dark cloak and a hand with four blades for fingers. It lets out an evil laugh before stabbing with its bladed hand. The heiress blocks the attack with a glyph, preventing certain death as the spirit disappears.

Once the glyph disappears, Weiss drops to a knee and leans on her rapier. Without even looking at her scroll, she knows her Aura is low, though Lulu isn't doing much better. The constant use of magic is weakening her and the wounds are slowly causing her blood levels to drop as well. This battle won't last much longer.

"I am surprised you avoided that spell," comments Lulu, "Usually only the strongest of fiends can block it."

"Do I look like I care?" snaps Weiss as she begins to stand back up.

"No, I suppose not. Let's end this, shall we." Lulu releases her grip on the Cactuar Scope as is begins to spin in midair. Her hands begin to gather a dark green energy, though different than the energy for a Bio spell. "Magic has no limits!" she chants as the energy soon enveloped her entire body, rising her into the air as well, the doll still spinning. "You shall know pain, but not for long!" The black mage charges energy a little bit more, before closing her eyes. Snapping them back open, she unleashes all the energy she had stored up. "Ultima Fury!"

The spell surrounds the heiress as it emits a strange green glow. Then it explodes while another one takes its place, and another, and another. The spell explodes a total of ten times before it stops and leaves nothing but a giant cloud of dust as Lulu slowly descends, resisting the urge to collapse. A sly grin appears on her face as she looks at her handiwork.

"You did well, but I am afraid that wasn't eno-," her boosting is interrupted by the sound of steel piercing flesh. Looking down, Lulu takes note of the blood coating her clothing and the blade impaling her heart. The black mage looks back to where the dust once was to notice a double layered cage of glyphs disappearing, with another time dilation glyph on the ground..

"I take that back," she continues weakly, "I suppose that was enough." As her last breaths escape from her lungs, Lulu slowly stumbles back as she grasps her chest to cover the fatal wound. Finally, the black mage falls back, dead before she hit the ground.

Breathing heavily, Weiss slowly cleans off her blade before sheathing it while wiping the blood coming from her reopened wound on her left eye. Her white combat skirt is covered in soot and blood stains flow along her right side coming from a deep cut to her shoulder. She is unable to heal it with her depleted Aura, so she begins stumbling around the cave. Slowly, just as it had appeared, the color begins to fade to black, taking the heiress with it, leaving only the deceased replica of Lulu remaining in the void.

* * *

 **Whew, that was intense. Okay, it was not as high impact, but still back and forth.**

 **Now, a couple of things I want to point out. First is Weiss's Glyphs. So I know we never saw one for an effect similar to Esuna, but considering she has one for haste and one for summoning, it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to say she could do that as well. Also, the reason she survived the Ultima Fury is because she double layered her barrier and escaped part way through using a Time Dilation gylph to speed herself up. She managed to get wounded still because of the constant bombardment, but managed to escape with her life.**

 **And now that we have discussed that, an few more announcements. My side project that I have been working on with - is nearly complete, which means I will be able to finally get back to working on the second part of this series, as I have been pushing it off for a while. It will be posted on their story not to long after it is done, and when that happens, I will let you all know so you can go check it out, even if don't read the rest of theirs. I would recommend reading it though, but I don't want to spoil too much because I don't know when they want to do anything with it.**

 **Well, with that said, have a good week, and I will see you all Friday. Part 3 of RKWL vs RWBY, Blake vs Rikku. (How many of you actually expected Yang vs Rikku?)**


	35. Chapter 33: RKWL III: Rikku

**I'm back and better than ever. Well, not quite, but close enough. It's Friday, and so that means another chapter. For today's fight, it will be RWBY's Blake vs RKWL's Rikku. Now I know a lot of you, or at least I think a lot of you, were expecting Rikku vs Yang, but it didn't feel right. Yeah I know they both fight with their fists, but I felt the thief aspect of her would do better against Blake than who Yang will be facing.**

 **So anyways, just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **33: RKWL III - Rikku**

The darkness is soothing and fitting to the hidden faunus, Blake. It surrounds her, trapping her in an endless void. To her, it is peaceful, until it begins to get hotter. Bright sunlight fills the sky as it begins to beat down upon her while being amplified by her black clothing.

Color soon begins to surround her as it begins to paint the world around her. Sand covers the ground she is sitting in, prompting her to get up. The wind blows softly, taking loose pieces of sand with it. All around her, a great desert is forming the island known as Bikanel.

"Looks like I get to kill the kitty," cheers a high pitched voice. Blake turns around to find a young girl with medium-length blonde hair set in both a ponytail and two braids. She is wearing an orange sleeveless tank top, with two blue ribbons hang from the back, a pair of green short-shorts. Around her neck is a pair of green goggles and on her feet is a pair of brown combat boots. Her right arm consists of an arm guard and a gauntlet connected to her weapon, Godhand, while her left has a large protective forearm mitt.

Startled by her sudden appearance, Blake reaches to her head to feel her ears and no bow. The young girl snickers while she hold up a black ribbon, "Oops, sorry. Did I let the cat out of the bag?"

Blake stares the young girl down as she growls, "You little bitch."

"Really? And that's coming from the pussy."

"Just what do you people want?!"

"We want nothing but your head in a shiny platter. After all, we serve no other purpose than to serve Lord Seymour, he is the one who created us."

"You're not real?"

"We are real, just not original. It doesn't matter, because you will be dead soon anyways. No one will find you here, your body will slowly be covered by the sand, and you will be left to die alone. I hope you said your good-byes."

Blake begins to calm herself down as she reaches behind her back and grabs her Gambol Shroud. "So you plan to kill us? I guess that means to leave here I will have to kill you first. Good thing I have already taken lives before, and the fact you all are fakes eases the pain a little. What is your name, or at least that of your original?"

"Rikku." Without warning, the now named Rikku pulls a small red orb from her pouch and tosses it at Blake, who slashes it in half. The orb releases an explosion of fire, sending Blake flying into the sand dune behind her.

Before she can think, the thief emerges from the smoke with her right fist cocked back. Knowing how hard Yang can punch, Blake quickly raises her weapon up to block the punch. Their weapons connect and the faunus forces her attacker back and away.

"Don't think this is over!" shouts Rikku as she charges in once more. Throwing punches and kicks, Blake either blocks or dodges the attacks until a right hand manages to slip past. The thief's fist connects with Blake's jaw, only for her to disappear. Rikku looks in shock for half a second, only to turn around to avoid a slash from behind. The attack still manages to cut her left shoulder as she returns the favor with another well placed punch, this one connecting with Blake's jaw.

Both girls stumble back, holding their new wounds. Blake received a minor cut along her lip, which she heals, while Rikku is trying to cover up the slash along her shoulder. It isn't deep, but it still is bleeding a lot. She puts her hand into her pouch and pulls out a small blue vial, pops off the cap and chugs it. Instantly, her wound begins to repair itself, leaving only a trail of blood where the wound was. Blake scowls at the sight of healing to which Rikku responds by throwing the bottle in her face, causing it to shatter and cut up her face.

Blake tries to wipe the glass off her face, only to fly back father after being hit with a grenade. The faunus draws her katana from her cleaver sheath and looks toward the cloud of smoke, waiting for the thief to reappear. "You really think I am going to try that again?" asks Rikku as she punches Blake in the face, only for her fist to connect with nothing. Allowing her momentum to turn her around, Rikku brings her fist back up and connects with Blake's gut, avoiding the cleaver aimed for her neck. "And you thought I would fall for that again? Do you not know how to use the element of surprise?"

Blake stands back up as her Aura finishes healing her wounds. Rikku readies her fists as the faunus charges in this time. Swinging her weapons quickly, Blake tries to find a way to get past the thief's defenses. Rikku sidesteps a slash from the katana and rolls under a swing from the cleaver before tossing a smoke bomb into Blake's face. It explodes like a grenade when it connects, tossing her back as the smoke covers her eyes.

She manages to make it back to her feet, still blinded by the attack. Rikku grins evilly as she charges in again, this time with a red, blue, and white orb in her left hand. Leaping into the air, she attempts to nail the blinded faunus with a haymaker, only for Blake to move to Rikku's left side.

The thief swings her left arm forward and tosses the orbs. The blue orb sends a wave of water crashing upon Blake. Next, the white one creates a shard of ice that impales Blake in her right leg. Her pain filled scream is drowned out by the explosion of fire that consumed her while creating a large cloud of smoke.

"Phew," Rikku sighs, "I am really glad I didn't need to use any Lightning Gems." Rikku turns and begins to walk away as a bullet zooms past her face, grazing her cheek. Once more facing the smoke, she turns to find Blake standing amongst the smoke and sand. Her clothes are torn up in places and stained with blood. Sand and soot form a thick layer over what remains of her clothing as she has the gun from her katana pointed at Rikku.

"Next time I won't miss!" declares Blake. The cat faunus fires two more bullets, both into Rikku's gut.

"Hey, that's cheating!"

"And you using grenades isn't?"

"Oookay… you asked for it!" Rikku reaches into her pouch and pulls out two orbs, both with three stars on them. Using her hands, she crushes them together and energy gathers around them. Taking the energy, she slams her hands into her chest, causing the energy to encase her body. "Quartet of 9!"

Upon her words, Rikku charges Blake again with her fist raised. The attack connects with another clone, only Rikku can't move her arm. Looking down, she finds her entire hand encased in an ice replica of Blake. Before she can break out, the cat faunus stabs into Rikku's back through her gut, leaving a lasting wound. The clone breaks apart, and Rikku brings her elbow back, connecting with Blake's jaw.

Blake stumbles back while Rikku holds her bleeding stomach as she reaches into her pouch once more. "I didn't think I would need to use this mixture against you," comments Rikku, "I guess you were able to make this fun." She pulls out two blue bottles, much larger than the one from before, and crushes them like before. A green energy swirls around her hands as she mixes the two together. The energy shines brightly before burning out, revealing a large green bottle. "Final Elixir!" She raises the bottle and chugs the entire thing before tossing it aside. The contents of the bottle begin to react as all wounds Rikku has quickly begin to heal.

Blake fires off two more shots from her position, to which Rikku blocks with her Godhand. The thief then charges toward the faunus, who does the same. Cocking her fist back, Rikku swings her fist with a greater force than before due to the Quartet of 9, only to strike a clone. Blake appears behind her and slashes forward at Rikku's back which the body to disappear like one of Blake's clones.

Before she can react, she is kicked to the ground as a black bow wraps around her neck, cutting off her supply of oxygen. Blake turns her head to the side, only for it to be met with a heavy fist, breaking her nose. As the blood trickles down her face, Rikku laughs from on top of the faunus. "Ohh, this is too funny," she says, "The one thing that you felt protected you from everyone is what I am going to kill you with."

Feeling herself fading, Blake tries to think of a plan. She can't make a clone, and she can't risk turning her gun to get a good shot. Thinking, Blake tries to remember what she did during the fight, then it hits her. The thief begins to laugh more as she sit atop Blake, "Time for you to take a cat nap."

"You…" Blake gasps as she struggles for air, "...little… Bitch!" Upon finishing her final word, Blake quickly fires a shot using Lightning Dust, causing Rikku to jump back in fear.

"Eeep!" she cries as she crawls away from Blake. The cat faunus slowly begins to stand as she takes deep breaths to regain oxygen. Realizing what she did, Rikku quickly hops to her feet and rushes at Blake. As her fist comes to contact with the face of the clone, it sends electricity through her arm.

Shocked, Rikku tries to regain her senses, only to hear the crackle of a single gunshot. She watches as blood slowly runs down her face while she drops to her knees. She tries to say something, but all that comes out is short bursts of air before she finally lies down. Standing behind her is Blake, staring down the thief as she falls, with her gun pointed towards where her head use to be.

Walking over to examine the body, she bends down to Rikku's ear and says, "I thought you would of known, cats have nine lives." She grabs the thief by the hair and yanks her head up. Taking her katana, she slits her throat before letting go and prying the bow from her cold, dead hands. As she replaces the bow atop her head, the color soon begins to fade once more. The desert now gone, leaves nothing in the void but the replica of Rikku.

* * *

MoonKoolaid stands on the roof of a building, overlooking the the destruction in the city. Cars are flipped, buildings have been reduced to rubble, and fires burn everywhere. He saw earlier when Team RWBY were transported by the use of the Gems. Moon places his hand to his ear and begins to speak. "What is the progress?" he asks.

RagingKey responds from the other side of the call, " _3 victories, but I don't like the next match."_

"And the main event?"

" _I think it will be great to watch. But back to the subject at hand, I need you to set up a one way mirror to watch the fourth match. Make sure she comes out alive, even if you need to interfere. The odds are not on her side, so why not stack the deck."_

"Yessir." Rage hangs up, resulting in a soft click in Moon's ear. Behind him, a large portal of fire forms to which he turns and proceeds to enter. The portal disappears with him inside, leaving no signs of ever existing.

* * *

 **Yep, that happened. Cat puns, chokings, and death. Such a savory combination.**

 **And Moon makes his return, but for what reasons? And what is the main event? Who knows... wait I do.**

 **Also, the reason why Rikku was able to use Blake's clone was because of her ability, Copycat. But enough about this fight, it is time for the forth part of RKWL vs RWBY, Yang vs Wakka. It will sure be a crowd pleasing match.**


	36. Chapter 34: RKWL IV: Wakka

**Alright guys, I am back and that means it's time for a new chapter. Not much to say in terms of how this works, simple fight, Yang vs Wakka. Special thanks to Neos the Final Builder for the favorite. Now, all of you sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 34: RKWL IV - Wakka**

The darkness envelopes the entire plane of existence, leaving Yang to stand alone. There is nothing around, nothing but darkness. As the blonde brawler looks around the empty space, color soon begins to form around her, followed by the sound of rushing water below her. The once blackened world becomes full of vibrant colors as a stadium forms around her. Looking down, Yang notices she is standing on a large circular platform suspended above a large sphere of water. Nearly three stories in any direction, the water is perfectly suspended in air with no chance of falling.

"Luca can take your breath away, ya?" asks a male voice with a Jamaican accent. Yang turns back to the platform she is on to notice a man standing before her with tan skin. He wears a blue headband to hold up his red hair, styled into a coif, with a yellow vest top that reaches just above his stomach, and a blue and yellow pair of trousers that look very loose despite not reaching his ankles. A yellow shoulder pad rests on his left side that connects to a yellow armguard and around his neck is a small dolphin necklace.

"Just what the hell is going on?" Yang asks.

"We are here to put on a show for the crowd, ya. You and I are going to duke it out for them. A fight to the death, ya. Though to be honest, I would prefer to be in the water to do so."

Yang activates her Ember Celia as she raises her fists to fight. "Sorry, but I didn't bring a bathing suit, and I am not one to strip in public."

"I wouldn't worry about it, I can kick your ass up here too, ya know."

"Just who are you people?"

"Wakka, captain of the Besaid Aurochs, current champions of the annual blitzball tournament. Now time for you die in the name of Lord Seymour." Wakka's right hand begins to glow as a ball begins to appear in his hand. Once the light subsides, a dangerous looking version of a blitzball rest in his hand. It is a red ball with a black stripe on both sides and a buzz saw in the center, the Celestial Weapon, World Champion.

Wakka pulls his arm back before launching the ball like a baseball towards Yang. The blonde manages to duck underneath as the weapon crashes into the stadium wall before flying back to its owner. The screams of fan can be heard as they try to avoid the rubble. "Good thing I didn't get hit by that."

Yang turns back to the player as he readies another attack and begins running after him. Using her shotgun blasts to increase her speed, she reaches Wakka in seconds while bringing her right hand forward. Her fist flies forward with the intent to break the man's jaw, but hits nothing but air as he moves his head out of the way. As she passes by the player, she is nailed in the back of the head as he swings the ball around.

Before hitting the ground, Yang manages to roll and turn to face him once more, only to find a blitzball making a beeline straight at her face. Not having a chance to dodge, she raises her arms is an 'X' to block the shot with her Aura. The attack connects and knocks her back to the ground.

Getting back to her feet, she watches as he catches the ball with no problem, giving her an idea. Reeling back, Wakka sends another powerful shot towards the blonde. Instead of dodging, she leans back in an athletic position. Once the ball is inches from her face, she punches it with a bone shattering uppercut with an extra blast from her shotguns for good measure. The blitzball flies straight up into the air, breaking one of the lights shining on them.

A sly grin forms on Wakka's face as he simply moves his arm to the side. The blitzball stops moving and remains spinning in place high above the platform they are standing on. Then it quickly shoots straight towards the player once more, softly landing in his hand like before. Yang growls while Wakka laughs. "What?" he asks, "You thought I wouldn't make sure I could keep track of this thing, ya? No matter where it goes, even if it gets destroyed, I can always make sure it comes back to my hand the way it left it. Now for some peace and quiet!"

His last words come out like a chant as he begins to gather white energy in the ball. He brings his arm back once more as Yang charges forward to strike him. "Silence Buster!" As the blonde's fist is mere inches from his face, he unleashes the blitzball towards her, making contact with her face and sending her away from him as he catches the ball.

Yang tries to curse, only to notice she can't speak or even make a sound. She silently growls before charging at the blitzball player once more. Wakka launches another attack at her, to which she dodges to the side while continuing to run at him. Swinging her right hand, Yang forcefully connects with his jaw while she nails his gut with her left. The second attack makes him jump a little to which he is sent into a flip from a right-handed uppercut.

Acting on instinct alone, Yang turns and catches the returning ball with her right hand. Still turning, she brings her body around as Wakka stumbles to his feet and slashes him in the chest with his weapon. He stumbles back while holding his chest in attempts to cover the wound. Annoyed, he recalls his weapon from the brawler's hands and back to his own.

"You won't mind sharing your health, ya?" wonders Wakka as a red energy begins to glow in his left hand. Yang ignores this as she charges in once more, attempting to break his jaw with a right hook. As she brings her arm back, Wakka raises his left arm and points it towards her, the dark red energy surrounding his hand. "Drain!" He sends the energy towards Yang who is defenseless against the spell he cast. The spell hits Yang, forcing her back to the ground as the dark red energy surrounds her body. Slowly, the energy begins to return to Wakka as the wound on his chest begins to heal. Yang makes her way back to her feet feeling weaker than before.

"That was an interesting trick you pulled there," comments Yang as she is now able to speak again, "But I don't think that will work again."

"Who knows," replies Wakka, "But I don't plan on needing it again. You won't see this coming!" As he chants the last words, a black energy begins to form around his weapon, becoming a dark cloud. "Dark Buster!" Like a speeding comet, Wakka launches his blitzball toward Yang once more, nailing her in the face again.

As the blonde stands up, she notices one thing, all she can see is the dark cloud in front of her. Panicking, she tries to rub her eyes to no avail. She begins to fire off shots randomly in hopes to hit Wakka, but none hit their target. As she begins to calm down, she manages to see something that catches her eye through the smoke. Another blitzball comes crashing into as she realizes what it is. A single strand of her hair.

Not staggering from the last attack, Yang punches her hands together as her hair stands straight up like flames and a fiery Aura surrounds her body. He eyes even change to red as the smoke instantly clears her face.

Wasting little time, she charges after Wakka in a blind rage. She strikes Wakka harder than before due to her Semblance allowing her power to grow after she took the hits. The brawler knocks Wakka into the air with a powerful uppercut. As he descends, she sends him flying with a devastating right-hand strike that nearly puts him in the water.

"Now I'm mad!" he chants while he stands back up after struggling. He begins to charge energy into his blitzball. "Attack Reels!" The energy shines brightly as the ball looks to be multiplying. Wakka begins to spin around, letting the wind pick up the blitzballs around him. One by one, the twelve balls rocket toward Yang. Unable to block them, she is pelted with them as they push her closer to the edge of the platform. The last attack causes Yang to lose her balance, but she manages to stay on the platform and remain dry.

Not wasting a moment Wakka begins to charge the energy in his blitzball once more. "Yo, eat this, ya!" he chants as the white energy envelopes the ball, "Auroch Reels!" Wakka tosses his ball straight into the air as it shines brightly, causing Yang to shield her eyes. He leaps into the air as the ball descends and when he becomes even with it, he spikes it toward the blonde. The attack sends bright light and explosions at her, causing her to fall in the water.

Looking down from the platform, he notices she isn't dead yet. Wakka doesn't hesitate as he leaps from the platform into the blitzball arena to finish the job. He finds Yang slowly floating down, unconscious but alive. Reeling his arm back, he aims for her neck, and sends the ball towards her as it slices through the water. As it closes in on the girl, the sound of metal clashing ripples through the water.

A silver machete stands between the World Champion and Yang. Holding said weapon is MoonKoolaid, dressed in the same black combat gear he was wearing earlier. With a simple arm movement, he brings his weapon up, sending Wakka's back to him. The two stare down each other, forcing Wakka to look into the masked man's soulless expression. Around Yang's head, an air pocket forms, allowing her to breathe in her unconscious state.

Wakka growls as he launches his blitzball towards his new opponent. Moon reverses the grip of his blade and slashes at the incoming ball. The attack splits the projectile in two, letting both parts fly past him. Without hesitation, Moon normalizes his grip as he slashes forward, turning all the water in front of him to ice, trapping Wakka inside. He then speeds forward with insane speed, slicing through the ice.

A single cut appears in the ice as Moon stops on the other side before cracks begin to cover the entire ice capsule. The masked warrior sheathes his blade in the scabbard across his back and the ice shatters. As it slowly begins to melt, the remains of the Wakka replica all but vanish from existence.

Moon swims over the Yang, still knocked out from the fight, and picks her up bridal style. Hardening the water beneath his feet without freezing it, he uses it as an elevator to rise the two back up to the platform. He lays her down as her eyes begin to open, which he doesn't notice. Once he is sure she is safe, he forms a portal of fire behind him and exits the world within the Gem.

Yang stares into the sky in defeat, knowing she was saved once more because she couldn't win a fight. Slowly, the color and sound begins to fade once more, taking her with it. It soon becomes nothing but an empty void of darkness.

* * *

Moon returns to the building from before, overlooking the city of Vale. He raises his hand to his ear and speaks once more to Rage, "Match 4 is a victory."

" _Did you have to interfere?"_ asks Rage.

"Yes. It seems the fire was extinguished in water."

" _Alright. You better relax for this one, I don't think I will need any help."_

"Against the Dragon King you shouldn't. Just make sure no one dies. Things are too wild to allow random deaths from one of your fights."

" _I know. Just enjoy the view."_ A soft click rings through Moon's ear as he looks on to the main event.

* * *

 **Now, before you all try to kill me, hear me out for why Yang lost. First, I actually think that all of Yuna's guardians are stronger than the RWBY cast, that is why these were weaker versions of them all. Second, Wakka is a very heavy range fighter with a lot of technical attacks to turn it the fight in his favor. Overall, even with Yang's Semblance, she couldn't overcome his attacks and with his higher health, he could tank her attacks. But, since I can't kill them yet, we have Moon step in and finish what she couldn't.**

 **With that out of the way, we can move on to the final fight of this RKWL mini arc, RagingKey vs Bahamut. What, did you think I forgot about that guy? Like Hell I would. This will show a portion of Rage's power, so be ready for the Lord of Hell to take on the King of Dragons in a titanic clash. And until Friday, Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers.**


	37. Chapter 35: RKWL V- Bahamut

**Alright guys, I am back and what perfect way to end your Thanksgiving feasts and Black Friday shopping than with a chapter from your favorite FFX/RWBY crossover. As I talked about last time, it will be the final clash of the RKWL arc. The Lord of Hell, RagingKey vs The King of Dragons, Bahamut. More questions will be answered, more questions will be formed, and something is going to die.**

 **So, just sit back an enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 35: RKWL V - Bahamut**

RagingKey, Team AART, and Team JNPR watch as the giant beast dives from the sky and lands next to Seymour Guado. As the smoke clears, the large group begins to observe the Dragon King, Bahamut. He stands at nearly fifteen feet tall and is covered in dark black scales with his arms crossed like Glynda. Two massive wings, with accents of reds and oranges, sprout from his back with a wingspan of around twenty-five feet long. His arms and legs show off the tremendous power he possesses and deadly claws just add to the details. Just above his back, floating in air, is a massive golden wheel.

"W-w-what is that?" stutters Jaune while he cowers behind his shield.

"Bahamut," replies Auron with authority, "He is one of the Aeons summoners obtain during their pilgrimage. I thought they were all sent when Yevon was defeated."

"And sent they were," responds Seymour, drawing their attention to him once more, "But if you remember, us Guado can create fiends from pyreflies. Combine that with the gifts Yu Yevon bestowed to me upon my passing, one can assume that what we can create becomes much grander than simple fiends. You saw my first attempts, the replicas of your former friends. Though it seems without a proper soul, they will remain incomplete and in turn, much weaker than the real ones. But you see, Bahamut was sent, just like the other fiends, which means his soul is mine to control. It also helps that I was once a summoner as well, making it much easier for me to control him."

"I see," comments Rage, "So I guess that means he is quite the threat to everyone here. I hate to be there bearer of bad news, but that means I have to step in a kill it. We can't have innocent people die because of your messed up mind."

"Your arrogance shall be your downfall." Everyone but RagingKey is forced away from the Aeon as a black wall appears in front of them. Once they are pushed a safe distance away, it changes from a black wall to a indestructible window.

"It might be, but at least those guys are out of the way."

"Dude, are you crazy?" asks Tidus.

"Our lives are not worth your sacrifice!" exclaims Pyrrha.

"I want pancakes!" demands Nora, completely unaware of the situation. Everyone, including Bahamut, stares at the girl with dumbfounded looks.

"Not the time, nor the place, Nora," reminds Lie Ren, "But you mustn't kill yourself for our sake, sir."

"Who said I was going to die?" questions Rage, "All I am doing is kicking this Aeon's ass and sending him back where he belongs." Before anyone else can speak, Rage turns back to the Aeon as he readies himself for battle. Team JNPR, Auron, and Tidus watch in horror while Airu and Ren Glain decide to relax in conventionally placed lawn chairs to watch the fight. Jaune takes note of this.

"How can you guys be so calm when some guy we just met is about to fight a dragon?" he asks.

"Because we know the guy, and he has killed worse without even trying," responds Airu.

"You know him?" repeats Pyrrha.

"Yeah, he is an old friend of ours, to say the least. He doesn't hold the title of 'Lord of Hell,' and not know how to kill a few dragons or demons."

"I have been meaning to ask him about that title," admits Lie Ren, "I thought that was reserved for Lucifer, the fallen Angel. It was said that he became know as the Devil or Satan once he was banished to Hell."

"It was. But that guy is dead now, or so I have been told. The person who killed him is on the other side of that window." Everyone looks out the window as Rage walks toward Bahamut. "He may not look it, but he is over 800 years old, or at least that is how long he has had control of Hell. And before you ask, no he is not Satan. He is just the Lord of Hell, and the Dragon King is about to be dethroned." Silence follows as they turn to watch the fight.

"So, we going to do this or what?" taunts Rage.

"Since you are so willing to give your life to save those behind you, I will give you the opportunity to at least draw your weapon," replies Seymour.

"You are too kind." Rage reaches behind his back as fire begins to shoot from him hand. Once the flames subside, a golden scabbard appears across his back. Gripping the blade inside, RagingKey draws the Blade of Rage with his right hand. The golden blade falls to his side at over three feet long with a golden edge and a orange-gold metal within it. A simple cross guard colored gold like the edge with a bright red gem in the center make up the hilt. Dangling from the end is a golden chain, the end link being big enough to place a finger through. "Let's do this!"

Bahamut uncrosses his arms and begins to charge some dark energy. The energy forms into four dark spheres in front of him. With a powerful roar, Bahamut launches the Impulse towards RagingKey. With a simple grin, he slashes each one as they come toward him with little effort. Upon contact with his blade, the energy balls dissipate into nothing before they can hit the barrier behind him.

Annoyed, the dragon king opens his right hand and points it toward Rage. Fire begins to form in the hand and the lord glances at it with little interest. Bahamut launches the Firaga spell toward Rage, who does nothing. The attack connects with him as the entire area around him becomes engulf in flames. Everyone but Airu and Ren Glain gasp in horror at the attack, thinking he was injured if not killed by the attack. With another sly grin, Rage simply extends his blade outward and the flames instantly extinguish themselves.

Not wasting a moment, Bahamut points his hand once more towards the lord, but instead forms ice. Launching the Blizzaga spell toward RagingKey, the dragon king smirked, thinking it had won due to elements. "That may work against fiends in Spira," declares Rage as he looks to the incoming shard of ice, "But not here nor in Spira will _ice_ bring me down."

Almost as easily as he dispersed the flames, more fire begins to form around RagingKey. Without even making a move, the flames begin to form into a giant ball as it moves toward the giant crystal of ice. There isn't even a struggle as the flames melt through the ice in an instant, turning it directly into steam. The giant ball of fire continues forward, connecting with Bahamut and causing it to stagger back.

Rage shifts his stance as he prepares to charge when the black holes from before reform in front of him. From each one, each member of Team RWBY drop from them and towards the ground. Yang looks mentally defeated, but no major injuries. Blake has some cuts and bruises, most notable of the latter is one around her neck. Weiss's entire right side is soaked in blood, a cut above her left eye and her right shoulder showing the most damage. Ruby looks worse than anyone, with a few cuts across her body and a large stab wound in her stomach.

Not hesitating like Rage, Bahamut begins to charge energy as the wheel on his back begins to spin. "Fuck!" Rage exclaims. Deciding to end this now, he creates another barrier using the black substance around Team RWBY as he turns back to the attack begin prepared. "Looks like you really want to end this now." The blue energy forming in the dragon king's mouth was the only response he got. Rage places his index finger in the loop of his chain and begins to spin it around his hand. "Flames of the Red Giant!"

Orange flames begin to ignite along the path the blade is spinning, its speed increasing as a result. As the speed increases, so does the heat produced, causing the flames to change color to red. Before long, the blade becomes too fast to track, making the only thing visible being the wheel of flames.

Bahamut unleashes all the energy he had be storing in the form of the giant energy beam, Mega Flare. The attack has the power to ignore any defense, and knowing it, Rage begins to grin at the incoming attack. The flames gathered around his blade fire towards the beam in a similar fashion. Both beams of intense power clash, struggling for control. Before long, the attacks cancel each other out, resulting in a giant cloud of smoke.

Sensing danger, Rage raises his left palm towards the smoke to block the powerful punch from the dragon king. Grinning evilly, Rage looks to the Aeon. "Time to say goodbye," he proclaims. With a simple arm movement, Rage brings his blade down before resting it at his right side. Bahamut screams in pain as a giant vertical cut appears in the center of his face, reaching down between his legs. The screaming finally stops and the Aeon begins to disappear, leaving nothing but pyreflies and destruction.

Auron's jaw drops as he stares in awe at the feat he just witnessed. The man on the other side of this barrier had just cut down Bahamut with a single swing of his sword. Even with the massive attack he used to counter the Mega Flare, he look as he had when he first appeared. Not even a sweat was broken during the fight.

The barriers disappear and everyone rushes toward Team RWBY. Everyone circles around them as they begin to stand up, each with the look of regret after taking a life. Airu reaches the group first, running to help up Weiss. "Are you okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, I am now," Weiss replies with a half smile. Airu nods and lifts her left arm to help her up. Yang and Blake make it to their feet on their own while Ren Glain helps Ruby to her feet. Once they are all ready to go, the three teams begin making their way towards Beacon. Before they could get far, Ruby yelps in pain and drops to the ground, clenching her abdomen. Rage hears the cry of pain and rushes over to her side.

"Can you move your hands for a second?" he asks. She nods and slowly moves her hands. Her outfit now stained a crimson red as opposed to its normal shade. Rage takes a look at the wound. "This isn't good. We won't make it to a hospital in time. I am going to do something, and it might feel weird, but I can assure you it will save your life." Rage places his right hand over her wound, his blade and scabbard nowhere to be seen.

From his hand, the same black material from the barriers pours into the wound. As the material enters her body, Ruby shivers from the tingling sensation. Slowly, the wound begins to heal, starting by repairing the damage to her organs. Once her insides were healed, the skin cells destroyed begin to reform and join together at an astonishing rate. As the wound finally closes up, the material begins to flow back into Rage.

"There," he says, "Now it is like it never happened. Everything has been restored to the condition it was before. You all should head back to the school and get treated though, I don't like to heal others very often."

"Thank you," replies Ruby. At the request of Rage, everyone begins to head back to the school except Airu.

"Why did you show up?" she asks.

"Seymour is too powerful right now for everyone to deal with him," replies Rage, "Until I can find a way to destroy whatever is providing his divine protection, he can't be defeated. Just continue to live your life as you have been and you should be fine. War is coming, so make sure you are prepared." Before Airu can reply, she turns to find him no longer there.

"Maybe this time, I will be on the side of good."

* * *

Qrow and his mysterious partner stand in the alley where they saw the entire fight. The shadows cover his friend but Qrow leans against the wall with a sly grin. "What did I tell you?" he asks, "There was no reason to enter that battle."

"Yeah, yeah," his friend replies, "I saw him appear too, you know. I never thought I would see the day someone could duel Bahamut and win so easily. It didn't look like he was trying."

"Let's just hope we can keep him on our side of the board. He would be one powerful piece."

"Your girls did well against those fiends."

"Whether it be Grimm or whatever else decides to cause trouble, they sure can find a way to defeat them." Qrow looks at his scroll before putting it away.

"We better go, we still have a few more leads to follow. Don't worry, we will be back in time for the tournament."

"Yeah, your right Qrow." The man steps from the shadows into the light, revealing his features. He skin is darker in tone with long and unkempt black hair held up by a red headband. Under an orange and red sash on his right leg, is a pair of black shorts. A metal gauntlet covers his left arm. His muscles are quite defined and are shown off easily by the lack of a shirt. Across his chest he has a black tattoo identical to the symbol on Tidus's pants.

"Just remember not to drink too much, Jecht."

* * *

 **That is right people, Jecht is here in Remnant. He has been doing something with Qrow for the duration of the story, and now we finally get a name to his partner. There will be a couple of fluff chapters before we truly start with Volume 3, but there is one note I want to make about it.**

 **Unlike a lot of stories that go through the Battle of Beacon, there will actually be significant fights through out, rather than quick blurbs. It will be a bloody war, and death will happen on both sides. We won't be going through the entire thing in one chapter, it will take a while.**

 **With that said, I will see you all Tuesday. Don't die while shopping.**


	38. Chapter 36: Death and New Beginnings

**Well, this has been a busy day, I will let you all know at the end of the chapter. This one is going to be a little shorter than the last one, but there isn't a fight and focuses more on the impact after the fight. We will be getting into some darker themes moving on from here, so this is your warning now that there will be more death to come in Volume 3. Anyways, just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 36: Death and New Beginnings**

Team RWBY and Team AART sit on the edge of the landing platform overlooking the City of Vale after visiting the infirmary. Weiss has a bandage wrapped around her head and right arm while everyone else had their wounds healed by their Aura.

"Well, we did it," comments Yang half-heatedly.

"That was something alright," agrees Airu.

"If we don't get some extra credit for that, I'm gonna be seriously disappointed," complains Weiss.

"You do realize a snake crushed a bakery?" asks Tidus.

"And Jaune got stoned in the middle of the fight," adds Yang.

"Petrified," corrects Auron.

"Same thing."

"Well, either way, I better head to bed," comments Airu, "I still have classes in the morning."

"I'll come with you," replies Weiss. Airu shrugs.

"Alright." The two walk off with Airu's arm slung over Weiss.

"I better get going too," comments Blake, "Come on Ruby." The two get up and walk away as well.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," agrees Ren, also leaving.

"Wait for me," calls Tidus, "Auron, you coming?"

"Not yet, I will be there soon," replies Auron. Tidus just shrugs before running off, leaving Yang and Auron alone.

"So…" she begins, trying to break the silence, "Those were dark replicas of your friends from Spira?"

"Yes, but they were much weaker than the originals. You were unlucky in who you had to fight."

"You knew I lost?"

"You looked defeated mentally. The rest of your team had regret and sorrow written on their faces, but you just looked like you lost."

"Yeah, I was knocked out, but the last thing I remember was a man walking into a portal of fire. He must of saved me, and it irritates me. First against that ice cream chick, and now against some guy with a ball. I can't seem to win on my own."

"Wakka is not someone you could of taken out."

"Jerk!"

"Let me explain. Wakka relies on distance fighting as well as status effects to defeat his opponents. Even if you could get past his attacks, he could still take hits well. Someone like you who relies on close combat in a more berserk state wouldn't be able to beat him, even if it was a weaker version. It was luck of the draw. Kimahri, Rikku, maybe Lulu would have been a better opponent for you.

"Let this be a learning experience. Find what you did wrong so you can improve on it. You might have to face an opponent like him during the tournament, or one like the Neo girl. Just remember whoever saved you once might not be able to do it again." Before Yang can reply, Auron stands up from his spot and turns toward the school. "They protected you so you can write your story. Don't let their efforts be in vain." Auron walks away, leaving Yang alone. Night has now fallen, meaning she has something left to do.

* * *

Ozpin sits in his chair, sipping coffee as he watches the airship outside his window. His recent video call with the council had ended on a sour note, with Ironwood being appointed as head of security for the festival. The military had managed to capture Roman Torchwick from the train, to which he was stabbed in the dick by Airu. They let her off with a warning, but found it was impossible to repair the damage, and were forced to remove it.

Noticing something odd, Ozpin turns around to RagingKey, standing in the middle of his office. "You know there is an elevator," he reminds the lord.

"Yeah, but then people would know I am coming," Rage replies.

Ozpin decides to skip the small talk, "What is going on?"

"Yevon seems to have split his power among two sources, which is what is keeping Seymour alive. The first part is Seymour himself, granting him much more power and control over the Farplane, allowing him to access it here. The second is located somewhere in Spira. I have eyes searching for it now, but I don't know where or what it is. This is something that is very problematic to the laws of Time and Space."

"Something like this, I couldn't imagine going well. Spira is not something we are familiar with here on Remnant, and neither are the fiends."

"Until I can figure a way to remove them from Remnant, your students best be prepared to face them during missions."

"Are you offering to teach them?"

"Consider it returning the favor. I can educate them on fiends and status effects. Make it a mandatory class for all students currently staying at Beacon."

"Done. I will allow you to teach how you see fit, just don't kill any of my students."

"I can live with that. Now, I must be going, I have a class to prepare." Ozpin nods to the Lord of Hell as he steps through another portal of fire. Once Rage leaves, he turns back to the window and stares out it once more.

"This is going to be interesting."

* * *

Airu and Weiss walk toward their dorm rooms after leaving the docks, when Weiss stops in the middle of the hallway. "What's up, Weiss?" asks Airu.

"I'm just thinking about what happened today," answers Weiss.

"What about today?"

"You know when we were trapped in those gems?"

"And you were forced to kill a replica of one of Auron's allies? Yeah, why?"

"How do you live with yourself, knowing you took a life?" Airu looks out the nearby window and sighs.

"What do you mean exactly?"

"How do you forget the pain, the look in their face as their life slips from their body, everything."

"You don't forget!" Airu snapped. Realizing her tone, she takes a deep breath before continuing. "If you could just do that, you probably have to be a monster. No, you remember the pain, the sorrow, the guilt, but you don't let it get to you. Consider it a hard lesson in life. You had no choice, it was either her or you, so don't worry about it too much."

"And you?"

Airu turns back to the window and lets out another sigh. "I push the thought to the back of my head. But, my situation is different. I killed nearly everyone I knew because I could, so now I have to live with the pain and guilt of my choices. I wish for forgiveness, but I know I can't ask for it. Anyone who I could of asked is dead now."

"I forgive you." Airu looks back from the window to Weiss.

"What?"

"You said you wish for forgiveness, but you can't ask for it. I figured if no one else will, I would do so." Airu remains speechless as she suddenly hugs Weiss. Tears slowly fall from her face as she cries in happiness.

"Thank you," she says in between sobs, "I don't deserve forgiveness, but thank you." Airu slowly pulls herself away from Weiss and regains her composure. "Promise me, no matter what, that you won't forget the pain of taking a life. Also know that what you did was necessary for you to survive."

"I promise."

"Good, now we should get some sleep. We might be having a class taught by Rage tomorrow, and he can be a bit, different when it comes to teaching."

Elsewhere, RagingKey sneezes. "Well fuck you too," he says to no one.

* * *

Ren and Ruby stop by the armory on their way to the dorms to stock up on much needed ammunition. Ren grabs a vile of Burn Dust powder and holds it up to the light while Ruby turns to the gunslinger. "Ren, can I ask you a question?" she asks.

"Sure," he replies while he keeps his attention on the Dust.

"Umm, how do I say this? How do you deal with killing someone?" The question catches him off guard as he nearly drops the vial in his hand. He quickly puts it down and walks out of the armory, leaving the ammo he wanted in the room. Ruby runs after him using her Semblance and reaches his side. "You didn't answer my question."

"Ruby, please don't ask me about that."

"Why?"

"Because I said not to!" Ruby stops in her tracks at his sudden snap. "I have too much blood on my hands to care about taking a life at this point! If I have to kill to survive, I will! Death is a part of life, it is better you know that now. I was killing when I was your age, I am not proud of it." Ren clenches his fist and throws it against the nearby wall, punching straight through it. He pulls out his hand and slides down the wall to his but.

"I keep telling myself that I wasn't in control, but I still can't forget the fact I killed thousands for sport. I lined them up, monologued, and put a bullet between their ears. So you want to know how to deal with killing someone, you remember the pain and remember how to do it better, cleaner, the next time. Just know the one time you fail to kill someone after your life, that is when you die."

Ren pushes up from the wall and turns away from Ruby. "I am going to bed, please don't follow me." He walks away, leaving the red reaper by herself.

"What really happened to you Ren?" she asks to the empty hall.

* * *

Seymour stands atop the roof of a building, overlooking the destruction he caused. The door behind him opens, allowing Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald to emerge. "Well, isn't this a surprise?" asks Seymour, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"What, I can't chat with an old friend?" Cinder playfully replies.

"I assume this is in regards to the early arrivals."

"Yes, and I assume you know why it happened, considering you put RKWL into effect."

"The base was discovered by RWBY. He informed me ahead of time that plans may be moved forward. However, I do believe everything was a huge success, all things considered. We got the data we needed on them, and I assume you gathered enough watching the other teams."

"We did, so I guess everything was a success," replies Cinder.

"Except for all the Faunus trapped in the caves," comments Mercury.

"Yeah, I don't think the White Fang will listen to us after what happened," adds Emerald.

"No, but they will listen to me," declares a new voice. The group turns to the doorway to spot the newcomer who spoke.

"Then I believe our plans shall continue as they were," observes Seymour, "Am I right, Adam?"

"That you are, Seymour."

* * *

 **Short and simple, but raises a lot of questions. I won't answer them, but do know that Ren's true character is beginning to show. Now, onto more pressing matters, why this wasn't up a few hours ago.**

 **So, a few chapters ago I mentioned a side project I had been working on, well it is up now on my page. A couple of months ago I proposed an idea with the author of Twin Heroes of Remnant, a Loz/RWBY crossover that focused on his two OC's, Gyro and Pierce. The idea was to have RagingKey fight Gyro and Pierce in a 2-on-1 match, because why not. I think it turned out great and he really helped make it as amazing as it is. There is a few small spoilers in it, but nothing that changes the plot enough to warrant not reading. So I usher you all to read A Dance With The Devil: RagingKey vs Gyro and Pierce, and then go check out his story, which is nearly 3 times as long as mine in just chapters alone.**

 **And until next time, I hope you all have a good day.**

 ** _Also special thanks to mrkiller5889 for the favorite and follow when I was editing this._**


	39. Chapter 37: The Devil's Classroom

**Alright everyone, I am back with a new chapter. This is a short fluff chapter about RagingKey teaching, though mostly making fun of Cardin. So, with that said. Sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 37: The Devil's Classroom**

The next morning came early, as everyone's schedule had been updated to include the new class, Fiend Studies. Classes were either moved around or pushed back to accommodate the new requirement, taught by the new teacher, Professor RagingKey. Team AART is the first to enter, being early as usual, much to Tidus's complaining. Taking their seats in front of the room, they are greeted to the perky sight of their new teacher.

"Good morning, Team AART," greets Rage.

"You can cut the crap, Rage," replies Airu, "We are the only ones here right now."

"You don't expect me to play favorites with my students. Why, that would make me a horrible teacher."

"Ten Lien says you threaten either a student or a teacher by lunchtime. Twenty if you do both."

"Deal." The two shake hands as the rest of the class strolls in. The bell rings at seven, triggering a class wide yawn. Rage ignores this as he makes his way to the front of the classroom.

"Good morning class," he begins, "My name is Professor RagingKey, but I ask that you all refer to me as Rage, I have never been one for formalities. Now then, please say here when I read off your team name, as you all have been assigned this class with your teammates. Team RWBY."

"Here," replies Ruby.

"Good. Team JNPR."

"Here," responds Jaune.

"Good. Team AART."

"Right in front of you," reminds Airu.

"Yes, of course. Team…" the list goes on, until RagingKey reaches the last name, "And last, Team CRDL."

"Not interested," snickers Cardin.

"Excellent. Now that we all are here, why don't we begin. Is there any questions before we do so."

"Yeah, why is some ragged old man teaching this class? I mean, at least Port and Oobleck have the decency to wear a suit, you look like you walked out of the thrift store with that coat." Cardin laughs at his question, only to open his eyes to a black dagger floating in front of his face.

"Let me see, Cardin was it? The reason I am teaching this class is because I have experience that far surpasses any of the other professors, including Ozpin. I have been given complete control over this class as to prepare you for the dangers that lie ahead. And this coat is the only thing preventing me from running this dagger through your skull."

"Professor RagingKey!" exclaims Glynda as she looks through the doorway. She storms into the room while Rage keeps the dagger pointed at Cardin. "I do not believe threatening your students is the proper way to teach them. And I am pretty sure Ozpin will find someone else when he finds out about this." A shiver runs down the spine of the entire class as she threatens Rage, but he doesn't look to care.

"Actually, Glynda, I have complete freedom with the class, just so long as no one dies. And to my knowledge, Cardin over here can still breath. Whether or not he has been traumatized yet is not my problem. Now if you would be so kind as to proceed to your own class, I must resume teaching." Knowing she couldn't argue, Glynda storms off, causing Cardin to snicker. Rage adjusts the dagger once more, causing him to sit up straight once more. The dagger then changes shape, turning into a giant arrow.

"Now then, Cardin please come to the front of the classroom." Doing as he is told, Cardin makes his way to the front desk, where he notices a line of swords on it. Rage joins him and picks up the far right blade and the bottle next to it. "For today's class, I am going to be discussing status effects. With fiends appearing around Remnant, I feel it is best for you to understand how to defeat different types effectively. That being said, if one cannot recognize and treat a status ailment, then death shall soon follow.

"Mr. Winchester here will by my testing dummy. The first effect I will show you is Poison." Rage swings the first sword at Cardin, inflicting him with poison as his Aura blocks any wound that would be inflicted. The bully's skin turns a venomous green as the poison takes effect. "All fiends with the ability to poison inject the same type of poison. While it is not instantly deadly, if left untreated can weaken or even kill someone. In order to alleviate, one must ingest an Antidote." Rage forces Cardin's mouth open, pouring the liquid down his throat. His skin turns to normal and the boy breathes a sign of relief. "Also note that it makes one extremely nauseous if one does not plug their nose." Cardin scrambles to find a trash can as he pukes, causing a roar of laughter.

Rage grabs the next blade and bottle. "Next up is Darkness. This effect causes a dark cloud to appear in front of your eyes, effectively blinding you." With a swing of the blade, a dark cloud appears in front of Cardin's eyes. "While not fatal by any means, this ailment can make it hard to dodge attacks and make it impossible to land attacks yourself. To cure it, you can either wait about five minutes, or use some Eye Drops." RagingKey uses the bottle, and places a drop in each eye. After a minute, the cloud disappears. "Also note that the Eye Drops will cause a burning sensation in your eyes if you don't blink twenty times in ten seconds after use." Almost on cue, Cardin starts screaming in pain as his eyes begin to water.

Having heard enough screaming, Rage picks up the next blade and slashes at Cardin, causing all sound to be instantly cut off. "The next effect is Silence. While this won't cause problems for most of you due to the lack of magic, this can be extremely bad for mages. This effect effectively makes someone mute for a short period of time, like Darkness. To alleviate it, you ingest these herbs known as Echo Screen." Rage forcefully shoves the herbs into Cardin's mouth and assists with his chewing.

"I can speak again!" he cries.

"If you don't shut up, I will inflict you with Silence again." Cardin went dead quiet. "Thank you. Our next status effect is Petrification. This is one of the most lethal ailments and needs to be treated with the utmost of importance." Grabbing the next blade and needle, Rage swings the sword a Cardin, turning him to stone. "As you can see, Cardin is now stoned. It might of been the herbs, because sometimes people mix cannabis into it, but he is also statue. While Petrified, you can't move, breathe, or fight. Take a few to many attacks, and you will shatter. You can be cured before then, but once shattered, you are dead. To cure it, you must impale the stoned victim with a Soft, also known as the Golden Needle." Rage plunges the needle into the bully's chest like he did with Jaune, returning him to normal.

"Now, we have one last effect, and this one is my favorite." Rage grabs the last blade and two vials. "This effect is called, Zombie." With a swing of the sword, Cardin's skin becomes green and a weird gas emits from his body. "Unlike how most movies portray zombies, this does not turn him into a brain craving monster. Instead what this does is cause pain when a healing item is used, like a Potion." Forcing his mouth open, Rage pours the green vial down his throat. Cardin holds his stomach in pain as he drops down to the ground. "While this isn't as deadly as Poison or Petrification, teams of skilled fiends could easily take advantage of this effect in order to kill their target. Curing it requires the victim to ingest Holy Water." Using the second vial, Rage pours the blue liquid down Cardin's throat. The green color disappears and Cardin begins to stand back up.

"That is all for today, thank you all for coming, and I will see all of you tomorrow."

"I ain't coming back to this Hell Hole," declares Cardin, "You are one messed up teacher."

"Oh please, this isn't a Hell Hole. That is." A portal of fire opens up behind Cardin, to which he was pushed into. "I hope you like the Hell-line system." Another Hell-line appears next to the previous one, to which Cardin falls out of.

"What the Hell was that?"

"A Hell Hole. An endless hole in Hell. Anymore comments you would like to make about my class or ability to teach." Cardin shakes his head in fear before bolting out the door. The rest of the students follow him at a much slower pace. Airu walks over to Rage and holds out her hand. "Yeah, I know. Here you go." Rage pulls out ten Lien and hands it to Airu.

"Thank you," she says before walking away with the rest of her team.

"This is going to be a long day."

* * *

 **Short, I know and said nothing about fiends, but Cardin got stoned so we can laugh at that. Next chapter couple of chapters will be Pre-Volume 3, but start the my beginning of it so until then, have a good weekend.**


	40. Chapter 38: Hopes and Dreams

**It's Tuesday, which means you all get a new chapter. This is the beginning of Volume 3 for the story, but it starts a day before the Vytal Tournament. This first one will be a little shorter than some of the others going forward, but it is still as important as the others. So, without further aidu, please sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 38: Hopes and Dreams**

 _(Airu POV)_

I open my eyes to find myself standing in an open field. The lush green grass covers the entire ground as it stretches to the horizon. It feels peaceful here. I look up to the sky and notice large birds… wait, those aren't birds. Are those, harpies? I spread my wings and take off after them. As I approach the group, I find I was right. They are harpies, like me.

We fly through the air with grace as pass by a familiar town. 'Is that the ruins,' I ask myself. It can't be, the city was destroyed over seven hundred years ago. But if that is the ruins, that means I am back home, and far into the past.

What happened last night? I remember I was doing some homework for Fiend Studies with Ren and Tidus. Auron came back later and went to bed, he finished his homework hours ago, already knowing the material from his time is Spira. After I finished, I went to bed, and I woke up here. Is this all just a dream then?

I can't be worrying about that now, I need to find out where the other harpies are heading. We fly for a few more moments before they lead me to land in the town square. I look around towards the buildings and I notice they are in the same layout as I remember. To check, I quickly run down the nearby alley way to find the building Jaiir and I discovered the machine in, thought the building is intact this time.

I make my way to the front door and enter the building. There are a few people with lab coats walking through the halls, but none of them seem to notice me. It must have something to do with it being a dream, so I shouldn't bother them and head to the door I know. It takes a minute to navigate the halls, but I make it to the door and open it.

When I look inside, I find more people in lab coats operating the machine, or at least an incomplete version. Looking towards the computer, I notice two of them talking, so I walk over to them. "Are you sure this is going to work?" the first one asks. Judging by their voice, I would have to say he is male.

"No, but that is what makes it fun," answers the second. This one sounds really female. "Besides, haven't you wanted to visit other dimensions?"

"I haven't really thought about it. Why, do you want to visit them?"

"Yeah, I do." The second one looks down to the compute before turning back to the first scientist. "I want to find my daughter."

"What makes you think she will be in a different dimension?"

"Because of what she told me when she left. She said that she couldn't stay much longer, that Hell would come for her once again. I didn't understand it when she was younger, but maybe this will have the answers."

"And why is that?"

"Because she was always different from the other harpies. While most seemed to have a great control of wind, she preferred fire. It always left me in awe and made me wish my husband was still around. She grew up too fast." The female in the lab coat looked back down, and the male wrapped his arm around her.

"If it means that much to you, I will help you search. I won't stop until we find her for you. Promise me that you won't leave this world without me."

"I promise." I watch peacefully as the two slowly begin to fade away, leaving me alone in the room. I look back towards the machine and notice it is now complete.

"The two never found me," another voice speaks. She sounds much older, but female still. I turn to be face to face with another harpy. She is much taller than I am, and her wings have a good six inches on me. She wears a long, red-orange dress that reaches down to the floor. Her feathers are even orange in spots. I would guess she is around thirty, but I am not sure.

"Who are you?"

"I am Tuz Madar. I have been watching over you through your dreams for a long time." Why would she do that? Just who the Hell is she? "Because I care for my daughter." Did she just fucking read my mind. "Yes."

"How are you doing this?"

"It is a dream, created by me. I can do as I wish."

"And how are you my mother? If that woman was your mother, then you have to be at least seven hundred years old."

"A secret I cannot share with you at this time."

"And why-" she cut me off before I could finish.

"I don't have much time! Please find me!" The world around us begins to tear apart as it looks to be sucked into a black hole. I notice Tuz start to get pulled as well and I reach my hand out to her. I manage to grab her arm, holding her as I try to keep her from going.

"Where can I find you?"

"You can find me where the ice freezes even the hottest flames. The -" A nearby computer crashes into her head, causing her to stop speaking. Her arm slips from my hand, and I watch her fall into the black hole.

"I promise, I will find you."

* * *

 _(3rd Person POV)_

Auron grips Masamune with both hands and raises the blade above his head. Channeling his Aura, it begins to glow around his body, changing from pure white to a purplish-black color. Snapping his eyes open, he lowers the blade to his shoulders and charges the training dummy in front of him. When he is close enough, Auron swings his blade down with tremendous force, appearing on the other side.

Auron walks back to the dummy and looks at his progress, a sizable slash across the chest is visible with stuffing coming out of it. The guardian curses to himself as Tidus enters the room. Taking note of the slash, he turns to Auron. "You working on a new attack?" he asks.

"Yeah," Auron replies, "I am trying to create a new Overdrive, though when the energy isn't built up, it makes it hard to test it. I am trying to convert Aura into energy for it, and it allows for the Overdrives to be used at a weaker state."

"I see, I might have to try that some time. By the way, Airu wanted to get everyone together for a team meeting. We have the tournament starting tomorrow, so she wants everyone to be ready for it."

"Alright, I will be right there." Auron rests his blade on his shoulder and replaces his arm in its sling position. Tidus nods and the two begin to walk towards their dorm room. When the door closes behind them, the top half of the dummy falls down to the ground.

As the two walk towards their dorm Tidus turns to his friend. "So, Auron. Why do you want to learn a new Overdrive anyways?" he asks.

"Because having mastered the other four, I feel it might be time to learn a new one. You never know when it will come in handy."

"Why didn't you try to in Spira?"

"Because I spent the time mastering the other four, and once I did, I was doing my duties as Yuna's guardian. But now that we are here, I have a lot more time to learn and perfect a new Overdrive. I would suggest you do as well."

"I'll try."

"That's better than not." The two continue their walk in silence.

* * *

"What do you think it was?" Airu asks Ren. After she woke from her mysterious dream, Ren had been doing some brain scans of Airu, checking for any irregularities.

"I have two ideas," he replies, "One is that it was as you said, a dream and nothing more. The other is whoever this Tuz Madar is, has the capability to use some sort of dream altering magic or Semblance. The fact she said she created it supports the second theory, but I am not sure."

"Where was she talking about, where the ice freezes the hottest flames?"

"There is two places I can think of. The Frozen Cliffs in Atlas and the Isle of Ice north of the Isle of Warriors. We can check the first place this summer, but the second, I don't know how to get there. I can look at some of the files once we visit home, but… fuck!"

"What?"

"We have a hacker on the school system. I need to deal with this now." Ren Glain reaches up a presses a button on his eyepiece, and pulls out a keyboard from his bag. The screen that once covered the single eye now sits on the wall above the keyboard, which rests on the nearest desk. A microphone lowers to his mouth to allow some vocal commands. "Now let's see what we are dealing with here. Airu, I need you to wait outside and make sure no one enters, not even our teammates. I will send you a message with their GPS location once I trace the IP and I may need you to distract them."

"On it!" Airu hurries out the door, to find Auron and Tidus walking towards the door.

"Hey Airu," greets Tidus, "I brought Auron like you asked."

"Change of plans, we need to guard this door with our lives."

"Why is that?" Auron asks with a raised eyebrow, "I thought you wanted us to meet in the room to discuss plans for the tournament tomorrow."

"I did, but Ren found a hacker on the school system and needs no distractions while he works. We are waiting until we get an address to distract the hacker, but not let them know we know what they are doing."

"Okay." Tidus and Auron stand next to Airu as they guard the door.

Back inside, Ren stares at the large screen in front of him. A map detailing the inner workings of the cyberspace appears with a white path showing the route the hacker is going to take. In the upper left corner is a white queen chess piece, surrounded by smaller chess pieces, moving towards the files and commands labeled, Tournament Randomizer.

"So, the queen wants to control the matches," he says to himself, "I guess I will just have to protect my king. If they get to that file, it's checkmate." Ren sighs. "Alright, I suppose I will play with you for a little while." Ren leans over the keyboard and begins typing at an incredible rate, his fingers looking like blurs as they fly over the keys. " , engage and destroy the White Queen program and defend the Tournament_ files."

Ren leans back and watches as his programs move to attack the hostile programs, "This is going to be a long night." He reaches down into the mini fridge next to the desk, and pulls out a can of Tired Nevermore energy drink and takes a huge gulp. "I hope you are ready, White Queen."

* * *

Emerald and Mercury sit on either side of Cinder as she tries to use her scroll to access the Tournament Randomizer flies in the school's system, when a strange message pops up on her screen. "Who is that?" Emerald asks.

"I don't know," Cinder replies, "The name says RingMasterCaesar." _This server is under my protection. Leave now before things get ugly. You have thirty seconds to cancel your program now, White Queen. Failure to do so will result in drastic measures. I await your response._ "If they thought a simple security system would stop me, they were wrong. I am finishing my mission."

"If you get stopped, can I have a turn?" Mercury asks.

"No."

"Fine."

"Looks like this went from a simple infiltration, to a game of chess. Checkmate will be soon, Caesar."

* * *

 **And once again I leave you with more questions than answers. Who is Tuz Madar? Where is she? Those are answers to come, but I won't be telling now. Not much else to say, but bonus points for those who can figure out who is a reference to. I will see you all Friday with the next chapter as we continue Volume 3.**


	41. Chapter 39: Hackers

**Today is Friday, which means it is time for a new chapter. This one is actually long, 3008 words before any of the author's notes. Funny, when I try and write pieces that move the plot along, I can barely get 2,000 words, but add in a long fight scene and I can ramble on for hours. Speaking of which, I should just let you read it yourself. Also, see if you can guess who is before the end of the chapter while you all sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 39: Hackers**

The cyberspace is the world within the systems used in computers and technology. Each server is different, but they all function the same. The world is one giant maze, so finding the files can be a pain if looking through the server itself, which is why the cyberspace allows for the use of icons and links to reach the files with ease for registered users. But when hackers enter, then have to navigate the server with programs.

On the outside, people only see the programs as files and code, but in they cyberspace, they are so much more. They become beings within their own world. digitizes into the cyberspace with a faint blue glow. Once the the glow disappears, zeros and ones structure the body of .

Standing up, the program wears a long, ankle length, black coat with white linings and a closed chest. The ends of such coat look ragged and worn. In his hands is a black daito with a broken chain on the end of the handle. The program raises its hand to run it through its orange hair. A voice in its head speaks to it, _. Destroy White Queen and defend Tournament_ ._

"Orders received," it declares, staring out into the cyberspace. A map appears in its eye, showing the path to the hostile programs. "Hostile programs detected. Engaging now." The orange-haired program begins moving towards its target. The blue walls and towers of the cyberspace make the place a living maze, full of twists and turns that could make any user get lost, but programs can navigate them with ease.

After taking a right, comes to a large open area in the cyberspace, the Battle Zone. When programs engage, a special arena is created at the point in which they meet to avoid corrupting the data in the surrounding area. Once the orange-haired program enters the Battle Zone, the walls close behind him, preventing his escape. Across the arena stands the sixteen programs that stand before him.

Using the identification function within its eyes, tags the programs in front of it. Eight of the programs look like members of the White Fang, but with white clothes and black masks, all listed as White_ . Behind them stood two large and bulky programs carrying chainsaw-swords with the same pattern of masks, listed as White_ . Next to the Rooks are two identical looking programs with orange hair in the style of Roman Torchwick, both with white suits and grey hats, listed as White_ . Sitting on the white horses behind them, sit two male looking programs clad with armor and carrying large, double-edged swords, listed as White_ .

Behind the mass of programs is the two lead programs, the White_ and White_ . The former has red hair and a male appearance, dressed in a long white trench coat with red accents and designs around the coat. On the back is a red rose covering a black tulip. Covering his eyes is a black mask with red slits, and it wear white pants and white gloves. On its hip is a red katana blade in its black rifle sheath, Wilt and Blush respectively.

The White_ is dressed in a white dress, reaching down to its knees and resembling a female. Its hair is braided and sitting on its shoulder. Unlike most the other programs, there is no mask on its face, and it looked similar to Cinder. In its hands are two glass swords with a similar appearance to Tidus's Caladbolg, but smaller and more of a charcoal color. There is also pieces to connect the handles together to create a bow with the swords.

The controlling voice of rang in his head, _Execute vocal takeover and request chat with White Queen._ " **Hello, White Queen** ," Ren Glain says through his program, though his voice is modified slightly. The White_ motions for the others to move as it stepped forward.

" **Why, if it isn't Caesar?** " replies the female program's controller, the voice also modified, " **I see you have come to play, but you seem to lack the sufficient programs to deactivate my programs.** "

" **While one program might seem limited, it makes up for it in pure strength. I am giving you one more chance, stop the program now or face the destruction of your programs.** "

" **You really didn't expect that to work, did you?** "

" **No, but I thought I would offer the chance anyways. This ends now, White Queen.** "

" **I couldn't agree more, Ceaser.** " Both users shut off their vocal communication, and turn on their programs combat functions. White_ returns behind her child programs as the White_Pawns draw their katanas from their side and surround . The program in turn, draws his own daito and looks toward the hostile programs. The Battle Zone would not disperse until one team of programs was left standing, making this a fight to the death.

From behind Strawberry, one of the pawns charges in for an attack. With a single motion, the program sidesteps the wild attack and swings his sword with his right arm. The pawn passes Strawberry as its top half is removed from its bottom. The first pawn program falls to the ground and a blue glow surrounds it. As its body begins to glow, zeros and ones begin dissolving its body. Slowly, the program disappears, leaving no trace of its existence.

Two more pawns try and charge , but it ducks under both attacks. With its left arm, the program elbows one of the programs in the gut as he cuts the other in half. Strawberry turns around and blocks the attack from the elbowed pawn. Sensing something behind itself, Strawberry leans back as another pawn decapitates its copy. The program reverses his grip on his daito and stabs it into the chest of the fourth pawn.

As the three defeated programs dissolve into code, the remaining pawns surround . As opposed to fighting one at a time, they all charge at once. In unison, they all swing their blades at the program, only for it to disappear instantly. The pawns' swords clash and lock up with each other as Strawberry reappears behind the group with a black aura gathering around its sword.

The pawns look in horror as the program swings his blade at them, sending a wave of dark energy at them. Only one managed to attempt a block with its weapon, but the attack broke through it. Each pawn had their heads and shoulders removed from their bodies, with a good six inches completely disintegrated. Strawberry pays them no mind as it turns towards the remaining hostile programs, leaving their pawns to dissolve into code.

" **This is your last chance to surrender, White Queen,** " Ren says, once more masking his voice.

" **Not happening,** " replies the user through White_ .

" **Worth a try.** " tightens its grip on its sword as it looks to the remaining programs opposing it. A rook and a knight charge the program first, the latter swinging its sword with a horizontal slash. Strawberry blocks the attack with its blade before it sidesteps the incoming chainsaw sword.

As the program attempts to counter, it is forced to avoid the incoming blast from the nearby bishop. Turning on its heel, Strawberry swings the daito up to block a second blast. The attack cuts the blast in half, allowing it to strike the programs trying for a sneak attack. Strawberry sends another wave of black energy towards the first bishop, cutting the program clean in half.

Before it is able to strike down the second bishop, Strawberry is forced to avoid the crushing blow from the giant chainsaw sword. The rook looks around at the spot where the program once stood, no longer seeing its male body. Its question of location is answered when Strawberry reappears behind it and slices down upon the rook. A large wound appears across its back as code begins to leak from it.

Strawberry goes for the killing blow, but the other rook smacks the program with the blunt part of the weapon and sends it flying away from the rooks. Getting up, Strawberry raises his blade to block an attack from a knight. The program forces the blade away and slashes at the knight's horse. With ease, the blade cuts through the legs of the horse like butter and forces the knight to the ground where Strawberry proceeds to remove its head.

As the knight reduces to code, its copy charges at the program and slashes down from its horse. The blade slices through the air where Strawberry once stood, leaving the knight confused. Said program reappears a distance away from the others bringing his blade across his body. "Executing special command," it states as the dark energy gathers around the daito, "Getsuga Tensho!"

Strawberry slashes forward with more force than before, unleashing a wave of energy even more powerful than before. The black wave cuts through the remaining rooks, knight, and bishop, before clashing with the king's sword, Wilt. Code fills the air as the hostile fallen programs slowly disappear. The energy from the attack dies down, and the blade of the king begins to glow red.

White_ turns to its queen, receiving a nod in response. The king sheathes its blade and starts running towards the program. Strawberry recognizes the challenge and returns the favor, bringing his blade back as the black energy begins to build around it once more. Once the two become close, the Battle Zone turns red as Strawberry slashes forward, keeping the energy wrapped around the sword. The king draws, slashes, and sheathes Wilt in less than a second, but the slash is all too apparent.

Despite blocking part of the attack, a large gash forms across Strawberry's chest, forcing it back into the air, nearly dead. As it hits the ground, the code begins to leave its body through the giant wound. "Execute critical mode," it says weakly, almost like a whisper, "Vasto Lorde Takeover." Dark energy begins to burst from the body of the program, causing a vortex of energy to swirl around it.

It becomes a dark cloud, obscuring the view of the king and queen from seeing . Then, from within the cloud, a large red beam shoots towards the king, who attempts to block the attack and absorb its power. The attack is too strong, however and breaks the blade in half. The large beam blasts through the king's chest, creating a massive and deadly hole. Once the attack diminishes, White_ falls to the ground as the program dissolves into code.

The dark cloud of energy disperses, revealing in its new form. The orange hair has grown down to its back and the body is now covered in a white skin. The top half of its coat is now gone, leaving the ragged bottom half remaining. Across Strawberry's body is strange black patterns leading to a gaping hole in the program's chest. A large mask covers its face with two large horns coming from the forehead. Some residual energy runs across the horns, causing White_ to believe that is where the energy blast came from. Using the identifier in its eye, the female program notices the new name. had evolved into a new program, .

Hollowberry unleashes a bellowing roar as it charges towards the final hostile program, its daito to its side. As it reaches the queen, it slashes forward and the queen blocks the attack with her glass sword. In attempts to counter, the hostile program brings her other sword around towards Hallowberry's throat. With little effort, the program grabs the blade with its open hand to stop it.

Letting out another roar, the red energy begins to crackle from its horns as a small ball begins to form. The white queen tries to break free, but the grip on her sword is too strong. In a moment of instinct, she slices the arm off with her other sword and rolls out of the way as another large beam of energy rips through the Battle Zone.

The queen gets back to its feet, only to be hit with the powerful fist of the Hollowberry program. Specifically, the fist of the hand the queen had just cut off. The program charges the queen once more with another powerful slash. The hostile program parries the attack, allowing the black blade to bounce off the glass sword.

As the momentum of the carries the arm of Hollowberry away, the white queen brings the glass swords together into a bow. Using the built in abilities, the queen forms three arrows in the string of the bow, and fires them at the program. As the arrows near the chest of Hollowberry, it disappears and avoids the arrows. Before White_ could react, the program reappears behind the female program, with a black aura covering the blade and a red energy forming by its horns.

White_ looks in horror as swings its blade with a ferocious roar. The black wave combines with the red beam race towards the queen in a massive wall of energy. As the attacks connect with the hostile program, it instantly begins to disintegrate into code, leaving nothing behind once the energy subsides.

The Battle Zone slowly begins to disappears as the last of the queen's code rises into the air. The walls of the cyberspace return to normal, and begins to revert back to . The voice speaks to the program once more, _Mission complete. Transfer all information to me now. Remain there in case White Queen sends reinforcements._ taps its chest, and a flow of information flows from it. _Thanks._

* * *

Ren Glain leans back from his keyboard as the data files from his program appear upon his screen. IP address, program names, and copy of defeated programs. Typing on his keyboard, he copies the IP address into his GPS tracker to locate the hacker. As he suspected, it came from the exchange student dorms. The room is what is surprising to him, as it consisted of a team from Haven. Using his keyboard, Ren types a message to Airu, with the address of the hacker.

Airu's scroll buzzes in her pocket and she pulls it out and reads the message. _Room 205, exchange dorms. Cinder's team._ Airu puts her scroll back in her pocket as she turns to her teammates. "We got an address," she says, "Tidus, come with me. Auron stay in the room until Ren asks you to leave, then guard the door, we will be back in a few minutes." The two Spirians nod and begin moving towards their assignments.

As Airu and Tidus approach the courtyard in between dorms, they notice Weiss and Blake walking towards them. The two girls wave over Airu and Tidus. "What are you guys up to?" asks Blake, "I thought you were preparing for the tournament today."

"We were," admits Airu with a very serious tone, "But Ren Glain discovered a hacker on the server. We are going to barge in on them, but not let them know we are onto them."

"Wait," Weiss begins, "How does Ren know there is a hacker?"

"He hacked the system on the first day of the school."

"So the hacker stopped the hacker."

"It's not like that, he just wanted more information on the school and the students here. He likes to have information about everything, guess he really doesn't like surprises."

"Isn't that what this hacker is doing?" Blake asks.

"No, they were trying to gain control of the randomizer programs."

"So they were trying to give themselves an advantage in the tournament, right?" confirms Weiss, "How is that different from what Ren did again?"

"Because unlike the other hacker, what he gathered was the data about a person, some of which could be found online anyways. Any advantage this would give would be the same as asking every competitor the same questions. They were trying to rig the matches for an advantage and ensure their victory."

"I guess it is different, but that doesn't make what you guys did right."

"Hey, when have we been the one's to play by the rules?" asks Tidus, causing a chuckle from the group.

"Either way," begins Airu, directing the attention back to the matter at hand, "We need to get going, this has to be done now before Ren has to deal with another attack."

"Do you mind if we come with?" asks Weiss, wanting to spend some time with Airu. The harpy puts her hand on the heiress's shoulder.

"Normally I wouldn't have a problem, but this time we need to do this. It is better not to get you involved if we don't have to." Weiss sighs in disappointment.

"I guess. Well, see you tomorrow."

"See ya," adds Blake.

"Bye," replies Tidus.

"Alright, let's go," Airu commands. The two groups separate and go each go towards the different dorms.

* * *

Emerald paces around her dorm as Mercury and Cinder sit on one of the beds, the latter looking quite pissed. "This is not good," Emerald states, "Our plans won't work without access to the files."

"That is not entirely true," corrects Cinder, "It seems we can't get in through our access point from the CCT, but what if we got in from Caesar's? If we could access through his room, then we will have the files on lock down."

"The plan is good and all," comments Mercury, "Just one problem, we don't know who he is." Cinder opens her mouth to reply, when the knock of her door distracts her. She hides the scroll as she opens the door. Standing outside is Airu and Tidus.

"Hey, Sun! What…" Airu trails off as she looks into the room, "Oh, wrong room. Sorry guys, I think we will go now." The harpy turns out the door, followed by Tidus. Once the door closes, Cinder turns back to her 'team.'

"I think we just found our entry point," she says with an evil grin.

* * *

 **Yeah, not much else to say about it. Strawberry killed a bunch of programs and stopped the hacking of the matches, or did he? Well will have to wait and see, but now to reveal who really is.**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach. That is not the only reference to the show however, but you will have to wait to find out. Until next time, have a good weekend.**


	42. Chapter 40: Round One

**Well, here we are again. Another Tuesday has come, another chapter for you all. This is the official beginning to Volume 3, and I will once again warn you, from here on out things are going to get dark. Do come crying to me when I keep you up a night because of what you read, unless it is because you couldn't stop reading, and then it's okay.**

 **Also I would like to thank my new Beta Reader, General Texas. He (or she, but most likely he) has happily agreed to help read through and edit this story. This is the first chapter he worked through, so expect some better chapters from here on out. So why don't you all just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 40: Round One**

 _(Airu POV)_

I open my eyes again in the same grasslands as last time. The lush greenery expands to the horizon once more, though the sky is quite dark this time. I look up to see the moon I grew up with, whole and unbroken. After the last time, it might be a good idea to check out the ruins once more. I crouch and leap into the air, letting the wind carry my wings into the air as I soar across the sky. As I fly, I think back to the last normal day I had, the day Lucy showed up.

He was quite odd, and always managed to keep the entire class on our toes, despite his true actions. It was after I won a sparring match against both Drago and Jaiir that he told us the legend of the island and how it got its name. The demon, the demon that ravaged the land as it ripped holes in time and space, was really just RagingKey. He told me he just went berserk because he lost control of his powers when he was younger. Apparently, he was only one hundred at the time, which is still fucking old compared to me.

"Speak of the devil," I say, looking towards the ruins. Thankfully Rage can't hear me in my dreams or head, or I would have gotten a message from him. In front of me stands said demon in action. Rage looks to be at least four times my height and covered in a thick black skin. Lines of fire run along his body, arms, and legs, some of which drips from the cracks onto the ground, melting it like lava. His faces looks less human and more like an ogre, especially when he swings the massive greatsword in his hand like a club, destroying buildings with ease.

I have to stop to prevent being chopped in half by the massive sword. Even if this is a dream, I don't think that will feel good. As I look to get my bearings, I notice the lab building once more, so I fly towards it. I land in front of the door and proceed, taking one last look at the demon that Rage became once more. It's hard to imagine that he of all people became that thing.

Once inside the room, I notice it is back to the way it was before the black hole ripped through, though there is no one running around building the machine. "This is what I feared would happen," spoke the familiar voice. Turning back around, I spot the only family I know of, Tuz Madar.

"Tuz, I thought you couldn't communicate anymore?" I wonder aloud for her to hear.

"I used the last of my power to contact you once more. I wanted to see you one last time, because I could tell there was one question above all else that you wanted me to answer." She is right, there is something I want to know. Something that has bugged me ever since Mother and I fought.

"What happened to the rest of the harpies?"

"The harpies were a valiant race. Many of us were warriors, and most were female. We were seen as angels to many, and as such we were even prayed to. Humans looked up to us to protect them, and to save them from whatever they needed help with. We as harpies protected the humans from monsters as repayment for their generosity. But things turned grim when the demon appeared.

"It was a beast the harpies could not beat. We lost over half our numbers to the beast when the Warriors appeared. They fought with magic and skills no harpy could match, and managed to stop the demon. It was then the humans turned their back on us. They thought of us as false gods, and soon forced us out of the human cities.

"To honor the warriors, they finished the machine you see here, an original creation of the harpies. They used it to record the Warriors' stories and return them to the time in which they came from. That is when the mistreatment began.

"The harpies were outraged at the disgrace of their kind, the credit they stole from their invention. My mother stopped her search for me, leaving her newborn child with her new husband. From there, the Forgotten War began. Harpies fought and died in this sacred city, but not before driving the humans out. They may have won the battle, but they lost the war.

"After the war, very few harpies remained, mostly living in small tribes around the plains, fending for their lives against the monsters they were now treated as. Fast forward seven hundred years later, and all that remained of our kind is you, my daughter." Am I the last harpy, am I truly the last of my people. Is this the fate the Faunus have because of the actions of the White Fang, extinction?

I want to ask more, but before I can, Tuz speaks up once more. "I am afraid I must leave now. I have stayed too long." She walks forward before putting her hand on my shoulder, leaving me with a warm feeling. "Please find me, Airu. Whatever it takes, please find me." Before I can respond, her body fades away, leaving me in the room alone.

"I will find you, Tuz."

* * *

 _(3rd Person POV)_

After watching Team RWBY's match in the tournament, Team AART meets up with them near the locker rooms. The girls look exhausted, but still run towards their friends when they see each other. Weiss runs into Airu a little faster than she expected, causing her to stumble a little bit. "Chill out," she says, returning the hug, "I know you guys won, but do you think you want to cool down first?" Yang begins rolling on the floor in laughter.

"What's her problem?" Auron asks.

"You… are too… funny… Airu," Yang gasps out her reply. Airu thinks back to what she said, as does everyone else, causing a unanimous groan from everyone.

"Fucking ice puns," Airu curses.

"You're the one who said them," reminds Weiss.

"And you know they were an accident."

"Anyways," interrupts Blake, "We still need to decide who we are sending into the doubles round, so we will catch up with you later."

"Wouldn't it be better to stay and watch?" asks Ruby.

"Why is that?"

"Because our match is next," states Tidus, "I can't wait to be in front of a crowd cheering fans again."

"Yes," agrees Ren, "A stage such as this will be perfect to display our skill in battle, allowing us to reach new heights in the world of Hunters. Let us state our claim here, and never falter from our path to victory. Onward, Team AART." Ren begins down the hall with Tidus and Auron in tow.

"I really need to get him a muzzle," mutters Airu.

"Good luck," wishes Weiss.

"Thanks, and good luck in the doubles round." The two hug once more before the harpy hurries after her team. She finds them standing in before the large door leading to the arena. She looks to her team and nods, receiving the gesture back.

"Before we begin," Tidus starts, "I think we should do a prayer for victory." Airu looks to the dream with a raised eyebrow. "Back when I would play for the Zanarkand Abes, we would always do it before a game. Turns out it was also the prayer in Spira."

"Why not," Airu says in agreement. She and Ren follow Tidus and Auron as they step back and bring their arms around their bodies before placing them as if they were holding a ball by their stomache and standing straight up. After the motion, they all took a respectful bow to complete the prayer. "Like that?"

"Yeah, perfect."

Airu grins and turns back to the large door before them. "Now let's go kick some ass!"

The large door in front of them begins to open as the blinding sunlight peaks through the ever-growing opening. Team AART covers their eyes to prevent too much damage as they hear the roar of the crowd in the distance. They move their hands and walk along the platform to the stage in front of them. It is a large hexagon consisting of two sections and a smaller platform in the center. As they make their way to the center, Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck begin talking from their commentator booth up top.

"For those of you getting back from commercials," begins Oobleck, "Welcome back, and for those who are just tuning in, welcome to the Vytal Festival Tournament Team Round. Allow me to quickly explain the rules once more: the tournament is divided into three round: Teams, Doubles, and Singles. In the first round, Teams, regardless of age or skill, will face off, with the winners choosing two members to represent them in the doubles. There, the pairs will face off again, advancing one member this time upon victory. From there, the competitors will face off in one-on-one matches until we have a winner."

"Well said Doctor," complements Port, "And allow me to introduce you all to a very special guest who will be joining us for commentary the rest of this tournament, Professor RagingKey."

"Thank you Peter," says RagingKey as he leaned into the mic, "For those of you unaware I am the new Fiend Studies teacher here at Beacon. But this isn't about me, so let us move on to our current match. First up is a team from Beacon like any other, Team AART lead by Airu Mirai."

"Yes, probably one of our strongest teams of our first years," acknowledges Oobleck, "These four have proven time and time again their skill and battle prowess. But let's see how they fair against their opponents."

"That is true," continued Peter, "This team has been spoken highly of at Shade. Please welcome to the arena, Team KCUT (pronounced Cute) led by Kon Modsoul." The doors on the other side of the arena open up, revealing Team AART's opponents, and their ridiculous outfits.

Their leader, Kon, is dressed in all white. A white shirt that reaches down to his waist with a large yellow 'K' and a belt design with white pants. He also wears a white cape with red interior and teal gloves that reach his elbow. He also has a white pair of boots that switch from spring to spike mode, and a white helmet with a yellow 'V' by the eyes.

Next to him is Tatsuki. She is dressed in a black shirt and pants with a white skirt over top. There is extra padded armor across her chest, shoulders, and forearms and spikes along her shoulders and arms. Her gauntlets have red spikes flipped up and look to be lined with Burn Dust. Like her leader, she also has a helmet, though this one is red, with a yellow outline along the visor.

To her left is the shortest member of the team, and looks like she is nine, Ururu. She is also dressed in red, though it is more of a sleeveless dress than anything else. There is also a pair of small black wings and a demonic tail, though they look like decorations. On her dress is a red 'K' and her hair is tied back into pigtails that stick out from her helmet that looks to be a red version of Kon's. In her hand is a large, double ended bat with each end wrapped in cloth.

The last member stands to the right of Kon, is Chizuru. The last female is dressed in a pink sleeveless shirt and a pink and fluffy skirt. Her purple heels reach up almost a third of the way up her legs and her gloves of the same color reach her elbows. In her hands are two spiked maces with a strange button labeled 'shake.' Her helmet is vert similar to the others, being purple with the same yellow outline.

The two teams meet in the center of the arena as they ready their weapons. "So, are you ready?" asks Kon.

"No, I still have to order the tombstones for you guys," retorts Airu.

"I see, so that is how you want to play it, well then bring it." Airu was going to respond when the Chizuru practically bounces ahead of Kon with large hearts in her eyes. The hyper girl reaches out her hands in attempts to grab Airu, but the harpy steps back to keep the hands from grabbing her chest.

"Let me touch them," complains Chizuru.

"No, you fucking creep."

"I will make you mine." Airu just stares with a confused and blank expression at the girl's comments. Tatsuki sighs as she watches the antics of her teammate.

"If I were you, I would run fast," she tells the harpy, "And don't give her the chance to use her 'shake' buttons." Before Airu can ask why, the randomizer for the arena appears on the screen. The slots spin through the different environments before stopping on some grass and a river of lava. The two sections lower and are replaced with two the two environments. Behind AART is a lush prairie and behind KCUT is a barren ground with the black rock cracked and bit of heat rising from it.

A timer appears above the teams, counting down before the match begins. Once it hits zero, Chizuru speeds after Airu who runs straight for the grasslands. Auron slashes at Tatsuki, forcing her to block the attack with her arm that and takes them into the hot lands. Ren and Ururu begin fighting with their weapons, leading them to the hot lands as well. Tidus is left to face Kon, who attempts to kick the dream in the face.

Airu enters the tall grass with the hyper girl in tow. "I can see you are fast," Airu says, "But let's see you try and grope me in the air." The harpy bends her knees and leaps into the air, taking flight. Airu looks back to the grasslands, only to not find the girl on the ground. Before the harpy can react, the impact of a mace ripples across her face, knocking her back down.

Airu regains her balance in the air and notices Chizuru in the air above her as she stands on the air. Doctor Oobleck speaks into the microphone for the crowd to hear, "Ohh, it looks like Chizuru is activating her Semblance, Hyper Erotic Mode."

"What!" Airu exclaims as she begins to worry about her erotic attacker.

"In this state, all of her stats increase and allows her to stand on air," continues Port, "It even makes her more, erotic attacks, more effective."

"Fuck!"

"I am pretty sure that is what she is going to try," added Rage, "Though I have noticed her Semblance only kicks in around girls she finds attractive."

"This is not going to end well," mumbles Airu. The erotic girl charges in with another strike with her maces. Airu parries the attack with her butterfly swords she now has drawn and counters with a knee to the stomach. Chizuru grabs the knee and pushes Airu down below the grass.

"Time to shake things up," says Chizuru as she hits the shake buttons on her maces. The spikes of the mace retract into the weapon as it begins to vibrate.

Weiss and Yang watch from the stands as a mix of screams and moans ring through the air. "That is just… wrong," Weiss complains.

"Oh come on, you are just complaining because she has gotten farther on your girlfriend than you have," teases Yang. Weiss's face turns red at the idea.

"No...no…no it's nothing like that." The heiress stammers over her words as Yang laughs at her friend.

"Right, if you say so."

From the press box, Doctor Oobleck looks down with a strange look on his face. "Uhh," he begins, "Can someone cut out those camera's for a little bit? I am pretty sure no parents want their kids to see that on public television."

"That… how is that even physically possible?" questions Port, "I mean, that is just… can we please turn off those cameras." A large wall of fire rips through the grasslands where Airu and Chizuru were. The harpy manages to reach the center, having stabbed a Burn Dust crystal and protected her body with a barrier of wind. She winces at the few minor burns she obtained as the flames continue to burn. Once the flames subside, Airu stares toward the cooked body as it begins running towards her.

"Mother fucker!" exclaims the harpy. She quickly takes off into the air but stays low to the ground. "Ren! Time for some team attacks. Everyone, gather them in the center!" Her voice rings through the earpiece as she soars straight for Ren as he blocks an attack.

The spy ducks under another swing of the large bat and counters with two shots. The bullets fire from the chamber and strike Ururu in the chest, causing her to stumble back. She hoists the weapon on her shoulder and fires a dozen rockets from it. Ren turns the dial and fires a pistol infused with fire Dust into the storm of rockets, causing them to crash into each other and explode. Airu shouts into the earpiece once more. "Now!"

Upon command, Ren bursts through the cloud of smoke caused by the rockets and strikes the small girl in the gut and follows it with a knee to the jaw. The attack sends her into Airu, who grabs her and throws her into Chizuru, knocking them both into the center. Auron ducks underneath a kick from Tatsuki and charges his Aura. Gripping his sword with both hands, he swings it like a bat, sending the fiery girl into the center with a weaker Shooting Star.

Tidus blocks another kick from Kon as he notices the bodies flying toward his. Kon kicks the dreams chest, which he allows to happen, knocking him out of the way as the rest of Kon's team lands on him. The dream makes his way to his feet as his team joins his side. Team KCUT struggles to get up as well.

"Alright guys," Airu starts, "Let's do this! Bullet Fang!" Ren and Auron run forward, the former creating bullets in his hand. Auron blocks the large bat with Masamune and dodges a firey punch as Ren forms a grenade around the bullets.

"Now!" alerts Ren as he rolls the grenade toward the guardian. Auron leaps as he begins to charge his Aura. A dark red, almost purple, light surrounds him as he positions his sword below him. Auron descends and stabs his blade into the grenade, sending a shock wave and a hailstorm of bullets around him. Tidus puts up a large barrier of water to catch the bullets that fly towards him and Airu while the rest pelt their opponents. The dream shoots the bullets back toward them, adding to the damage.

"Thunderstorm!" commands Airu. Using the water from the barrier, Tidus sends a crashing wave toward their opponents causing them to become soaked. Airu stabs her rapier into the ground, sending electricity running through the water and electrocuting Team KCUT.

"Mark Four!" Ren tosses up a large bomb he made with his Semblance as Tidus suspends himself in midair using his water. The bomb crashes into the water, sinking down for Tidus to kick towards Chizuru. It bounces off her face and soars back to Tidus, who punches it into Ururu. It returns once more and Tidus kicks it with a back flip, allowing it to crash into Tatsuki. The water propels him upward into a side spin with the bomb returning. The dream stops mid-spin and hits it with another powerful kick. The bomb explodes upon contact with Kon's face, sending the team to the ground.

Team KCUT manages to get up to their feet, and Airu takes note. "Armageddon!" she calls out. Auron stands in front of the group as a faint white glow appears along Masamune.

"Pray! Now!" chants Auron as the white glow soon covers his body. The guardian crouches down as he grips his blade with both hands. Airu runs past him as the winds begin to grow stronger. With a swing of his sword, a large tornado forms and begins to charge toward the opposing team. As it approaches, Airu jumps into the eye of the storm and opens up her Dust holsters and let them fly into the tornado.

The twister begins to catch on fire, form large shards of ice, and unleash lightning bolts upon Team KCUT while Airu controls it, spinning it faster and faster. Tidus directs his water into the twister, allowing for more damage to be dealt while Ren forms a mini-gun with his Semblance and fires countless bullets into the twister. The complete destructive power rips through the whole arena as bullets crash into the invisible wall and the wind picks up random objects, and a few smaller people as well.

Once the complete destruction ends, Airu slowly falls to the ground as Team KCUT crashes down, their Aura completely depleted. The crowd stares in shock before bursting into an uproar of cheering. "And we have a winner!" announces RagingKey over the explosive crowd, "Team AART takes the win for Beacon."

Tidus and Ren high five while Airu and Auron give each other a fist bump. "We did it!" cheers Ren.

"Did you expect anything else?" Airu asks.

"Still, it was a great match," adds Auron.

"So, who we sending into the doubles round?" asks Tidus.

"I haven't thought about it actually," admits Airu.

"I say we send you and Auron," suggests Ren.

"Why?"

"Because we have our strongest fighter and our fastest fighter. A combo like that would be unstoppable." Airu puts her hand to her chin.

"Sure, Auron?"

"I have no problem with it," agrees the guardian.

"Tidus?"

"No complaints here."

"Alright then." Team AART nod in agreement as they walk out of the arena.

* * *

 **Welp, that was a thing. Team AART moves on to the doubles round after defeating Team KCUT. For those of you unfamiliar, they were all ripped from Bleach. I just took the Karakura Raizer (or Super Heroes, I can't remember) minus Keigo and Don Kanoji, and made them a team just for the scene with Airu and Chizaru. Honestly, how could I not put that in, her ability in Bleach was too perfect not to put in, and making her maces vibrators was just the icing on the cake.**

 **On top of that, we got a little more backstory for Airu (she gets a lot of it for some reason), and some Team Attacks. Bullet Fang is just Dragon Fang into a bullet filled grenade, Thunderstorm is just a tidal wave guiding the lightning to the opponents, Mark Four is Tidus using the Jecht Shot 2 on a giant bomb from Ren, and Armageddon is a 4 person team attack. I am surprised Team RWBY didn't have any of those, but that is for another time.**

 **Until next time, have a good week.**


	43. Chapter 41: Family

**Last upload before finals guys. Tuesday I will be a little strapped for time, but I will make sure that your daily does of AART is delivered, so don't worry about it.**

 **Special thanks to Xeathes for the favorite, and to General Texas for beta reading my story. Without further aidu, sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 41: Family**

Team AART exits the arena to find Team RWBY standing outside waiting for them. Ruby is the first to notice and waves them over. Airu leads her team over to them as Ruby seems to be bouncing with excitement. "Oh my gosh, that was so cool!" she squeals as they came over, "I mean, you created a giant tornado that nearly ripped me from my seat, literally."

Airu chuckles as she rubs the back of her neck. "Sorry," she apologizes, "I guess we went little overboard, didn't we?"

"Let's just say you _blew_ away the competition," jokes Yang. Everyone around her groans at the horrible pun.

"Yang, what have we told you about puns?" groans Airu.

"That if I kept them up I would be _punished_." Another round of groans followed by a silencing slap across the blonde brawler's face coming from Airu. Yang puts her arms up in defeat. "Alright, I get it."

Airu grins before turning to the rest of the group. "So, who wants to get some food?" she asks. Seven hands shoot into the air. "Alright, come on, I know a place." Airu leads the group through the fairgrounds to a local noodle stall. As they were about to sit down, Ruby notices she doesn't have her wallet.

"I think you dropped this," announces another voice. Airu turns to see Emerald standing by the young leader with Ruby's red wallet in her hand.

"Oh, thanks Emerald," thanks Ruby, "Girl pockets are the worst."

"How's it going?" Airu asks.

"Not too bad, we made it to doubles round," Emerald replies, "I saw your guys match and almost was pelted with bullets."

"I said I was sorry." Emerald chuckles at Airu's defense.

"It's alright, it was a good match. Who are you guys sending to the doubles round?"

"As leader I decided the best course of action was to send Yang and Weiss," declares Ruby.

"Auron and I are participating," confirms Airu, "And you guys?"

"Merc and I are." Emerald looks at her watch. "I hate to leave, but I gotta go, see you guys later." Emerald walks towards Mercury as they walk through the fairgrounds.

"Did you get the information?" he asks.

"The heiress and the bimbo."

"And?"

"Eagle bitch and the guardian." Emerald looks ahead and notices RagingKey walking in the opposite direction towards them. "This should be easy." As the two approach one another, Emerald bumps into Rage and swipes his wallet. "Sorry." Emerald takes another step when she hears the click of the safety being pulled back on a revolver.

"I suggest you give that back," threatens Rage. Emerald looks back to see the Lord of Hell with a black revolver aimed at her head. Nervously, she hold out the wallet she lifted to Rage, who laughs. "I wanted my wallet, not yours." Looking down, she notices the wallet she is holding has a emerald design on the front. Rage reaches into his pocket and pulls out a black wallet with a fiery trident design. "I guess I had mine all along. My bad, carry on."

Rage draws the pistol back into his body and walks away with an evil grin on his face. Emerald stands in shock until Mercury shakes her, bring her back into the real world. "Em, you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, I just wasn't expecting that," she lies, "I could of swore I grabbed his wallet, so why was mine in my hands?"

"I don't know, but I don't like him." Mercury turns and scowls at Rage. "He gives out way too much homework." Emerald elbows Mercury in the gut and walk off. "Oh come on, wait up." Mercury hurries after his friend as they leave the fairgrounds.

* * *

Qrow sets his drink down on the bar counter as Team SSSN's match ends. Sun and his team won and the bartender was impressed with the match. "That was an interesting match," comments the bartender.

"That was a complete mess," deadpans Qrow. Jecht sets his drink down as well, looking at the bartender.

"I know, right," he slurs, "That one kid was afraid of freaking water. If he were my son, I would of shoved him into the blitzball stadium everyday until he loved it."

"Damn right!"

"Come on," begs the bartender, "You don't like them, the Vale kids, or any of the other rounds before then."

"Not true!" corrects Jecht, "I liked the match where they created a fucking tornado."

"That's because your son and best friend were in it," replies Qrow, "And that one part where we almost got to see some girl on girl action before they cut the cameras."

"And you didn't like your nieces' match." Qrow opens his mouth to respond when he notices an airship flying through the window.

"This is the match I was looking for. Come on Jecht."

"Yeah, yeah, wait up." The two drunks leave their stools and head towards Beacon.

* * *

Airu and Tidus follow Ruby and Wiess as they run through the courtyard of Beacon. They stop near a landed airship with some military robots guarding. Airu manages to catch Weiss when the heiress stops running. "What's the rush, Weiss?" the harpy asks.

"Winter," she replies. The robots guarding the airship walk in formation around a white haired woman dressed in a white military outfit.

"Isn't that your sister?" Ruby asks. Weiss ignores her partner as she walks toward the woman.

"Winter, I'm so happy to see you." The heiress stops herself like she said something wrong. "I mean, your presence honors us." She curtsies to her sister.

"Beacon," Winter begins as she looks around, "The air feels, different." Airu raises her hand.

"That might of been me," the harpy admits, "My team created a tornado during our match." Weiss shoots Airu a glare before turning back to her sister.

"So, what are you doing here?" she asks.

"Classified," her sister replies.

"How long will you be staying?"

"Classified."

"I understand." Silence follows.

"Well...this is nice," says Tidus in attempts to break the silence.

"Either way, you're going to love it here," Weiss continues, "Beacon is so much different than Atlas. Vale too. The government and school are completely separate. I-"

"I know how this kingdom operates, that is not why I came."

"Right, I'm sorry."

"Nor did I come to watch my own blood fail so miserably, but I suppose I have no choice in the matter."

"Last time I checked, they won," snaps Airu, only to earn another glare from Weiss.

"I counted at least three missed strikes, only a novice would call that a victory."

"Every fight has missed strikes, what matters is who lands the final blow."

"Every strike missed is an opportunity to be hit. Every hit can lead to injury. Every injury can lead to death." Airu readies a remark, but Weiss stops her by placing a hand on her shoulder. Winter signals for the robots to leave and relaxes her stance.

"How are you Weiss?"

"I'm great, thanks for asking. I'm top of the sparring class behind everyone in Team AART. The rest of my studies are going well, too. I-" The heiress is cut off by the silencing slap of her older sister.

"I didn't ask about your ranking, though I wonder how those four manage to beat you. I am asking on how are you feeling. Are you eating right, taking up any new hobbies, making any new friends."

"Well, there's Ruby and Airu," Weiss points to the two as she says their names then points behind her., "And he is Tidus."

"The leader you wrote about, the man who claims he is a dream, and the eagle Faunus." Her eyes narrow on Airu as she makes the comment.

"I prefer the team 'harpy,'" corrects Airu.

"Noted. Airu Mirai, I presume?"

"That's me. You must be Weiss's sister, Winter Schnee." Winter nods. "She has told me a little bit about you."

"I see." Winter turns back to Weiss. "I am suppose to meet with the general and your headmaster, but it seems I am a little bit early. If you wouldn't mind, I wish to see your room."

"Yeah, sure. This way." Weiss and Winter turn towards to school when the sound of crashing robots forces them to turn back.

"Hey!" calls a drunken Qrow as he tosses a robot head at the Schnee sisters' feet, "Yeah, I'm talking to you Ice Queen." Weiss storms to the man with a deep scowl.

"Excuse me!" she snaps, "Do you have any idea who I am?" Qrow just pushes her out of the way towards Ruby.

"I wasn't talking to you, so butt out." He turns his attention to an irritated Winter. "Saw that gaudy ship of yours, guess you're here to."

"I'm standing right here," retorts Winter.

"So it would seem."

"You realize you destroyed Atlas Military property."

"Didn't know, still don't care." The two continue to argue as a large crowd begins to form around them.

"Who is that?" Tidus asks as he leans his head down to Ruby.

"My Uncle Qrow!" Ruby replies with excitement.

"That ruffian is your uncle?" Weiss asks in shock, "That explains so much."

"Hey Qrow!" calls out another drunk voice, "You done arguing with your new girlfriend?"

"She is a little young for me to be honest," replies Qrow as his drunken friend pushes through the crowd. Tidus covers mouth as the man reveals himself.

"No, that's just not possible!" he exclaims.

"What is it?" Ruby asks.

"Tidus, is that who I think it is?" questions Airu.

"Yeah. That man… is my old man."

"Okay, that one is surprising," comments Weiss, "But I thought you said he was dead?"

"So was I, but here I am. Auron was dead for ten years, and we killed Seymour like four times, so my dad coming back is not that surprising." Tidus looks down to the ground. "Though I never thought I would see him again." The sound of clashing steel brings their attention back to courtyard. Qrow and Winter attack each other with their weapons. Qrow wields a claymore with gears in the crossguard to allow it to change forms while Winter wields a fencing saber.

The two disengage before charging at each other once more. Winter stabs forward as Qrow moves his head to the side. He brings his sword up for a slash, only to have it blocked by a glyph. His sword rebounds off the protective barrier, leaving him open for an attack. Using her saber, Winter stabs forward into his unprotected chest, only to hit a large black sword. The blade is four feet long and about a foot and a half wide with the tip having two more blades protruding from it like and anchor.

Jecht perches his weapon on his shoulders as he looks to the shocked expression of Winter. "What?" he asks, "You thought I wasn't going join in on the fun."

"Looks like things are getting interesting, Ice Queen," Qrow says, "You want to give up now?"

"Not a chance," coldly replies Winter. Pulling the trigger on her hilt, the center part of her saber disengages from the blade, allowing wield the dagger in her left hand. She charges forward at the two drunks and swings her saber at Jecht. He leans back and dodges the attack as Qrow brings his sword down. Winter manages to deflect the attack with her dagger as she roll out of the way to avoid Jecht's massive sword.

Winter slashes forward at Qrow once more, and the drunk blocks the attack. Before he can counter, Jecht swings his sword down upon the drunk. Qrow manages to roll out of the way before turning to his 'friend,' saying, "Yo, I thought we were on the same side!"

"I just really feel like kicking your ass today, too," replies Jecht with a grin, one that Qrow returns.

"I like you more and more everyday." Qrow charges forward and slashes at Jecht, who blocks the attack and pushes him back into Winter. The Schnee sister stabs at him once more, this time hitting him in the back. She goes for another attack, but is knocking into a nearby pillar by Jecht. Using a glyph to catch herself, she launches towards the drunks with the intent to kill.

Qrow begins shifting his sword into its alternate form as she comes down while Jecht taps his shoulder. Looking to his left, he notices something and stops. Winter is within inches of Qrow's neck, ready to cut it when, "SCHNEE!" the commanding voice of Ironwood stops her. She lowers her blade from the drunk's throat and turns to the general.

"General Ironwood, sir," she responds with a slight bow.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"They started the altercation."

"Actually, you were the first to attack," corrects Jecht.

"Is that true?" Ironwood looks down to Winter, realizing he was right when she looks down in shame. He turns his attention back to Qrow. "And you, what are you doing here? And who is your friend?"

"I could ask your first question as well," replies Qrow, "As for your second, this here is my new partner in crime, Jecht."

Before Ironwood can respond, the calming voice of Ozpin catches their attention. "Now, now, everyone," he begins, "There is an official match happening right around the corner that I can assure has much better seats… and some popcorn."

"Ozpin," Airu begins.

"What is it?"

"What am I supposed to do with my popcorn stand then?" Everyone else turns toward Airu as she hands another person a bag of popcorn. The customer hands her a twenty Lien card and walks away.

"You can give it back to the man you took it from." Almost on cue, an older man walks up to Airu dressed in a red striped apron and hat, grabs the popcorn stand, and walks away.

"Can I at least get the money I made?" The cash register is thrown and hits her in the head, causing everyone around to facepalm.

"Anyways, Qrow, Jecht, come with me. We have much to discuss." As the adults walk away, Tidus grabs his father's arm.

"Dad," he says depressed.

"Yeah, son?" asks Jecht.

"It's… good to see you… again."

"I suppose I kinda left you in a bit of a mess didn't I?"

"Yeah, but we did it. We stopped Sin."

"That's good. You're still the same crybaby I left back in Spira though."

"I am not!"

"Really, then why are you crying right now?" Tidus puts his hand to his cheek and finds a tear. He sniffs and lets it all out, crying into his dad's chest. "Look son, I have to talk to this Oz guy, and then you and me can catch up, okay?"

"*sniff* Alright." The two hug it out before Jecht turns to catch up with the rest of the group. A hand rest on his shoulder. The dream looks down to see Ruby trying to comfort him. "Thanks."

"Oh my gosh, your dad is so cool," she replies excitedly, "I mean, he swung around a giant sword like it was nothing. I wonder when he met my uncle. I would of thought he would of told me last-"

"Ruby," Airu interrupts, "I think we should give Tidus some space."

"Why?"

"Remember when they told us about their travels in Spira?"

"Yeah."

"Remember how Auron said Jecht became Sin?"

"Yeah… oh."

"Ruby, Tidus's father is a touchy subject for him," reminds Weiss, "We should head back home for the night, we will need our rest for tomorrow."

"Okay." Ruby and Weiss turn and walk back towards Beacon, leaving Airu and Tidus alone in the courtyard.

"You know," Airu begins, "Everyday I think back to that day, that day where I killed Mother, and wonder, was it worth it? Did I do the right thing? These questions haunt me everyday, and there are even days I wish she would come back. She was a cold-hearted bitch who hated me, but at the end of the day she still took me and my sister in. Maybe, just maybe, if she came back, we could try and make up. But this isn't Spira, and this isn't some dimensional worm hole that brought over the dead to Remnant either.

"She won't come back, so consider yourself lucky. Put your past with him behind you, and build a new relationship. You owe it to yourself and your father."

"Thanks, Airu."

"Come back to the dorm when you are ready, I am going to head to bed." Airu walks past Tidus and to Beacon, leaving the dream alone in the courtyard.

* * *

 **Yeah, Jecht and Tidus finally met up, plus a small duel. Emerald got caught red handed picking her own wallet, and Airu got hit in the head with a cash register. Until next time, good luck on finals, and have a good weekend.**


	44. Chapter 42: The Calm Before the Storm

**I am so sorry this is late, don't burn down any villages. Finals really got to me, my Beta is on a plane some where, and I was really busy in general last night. So here it is, three days late. Sorry, but I will make it up with the fact that it is much longer than a couple of the other chapters, so that's a plus. Now then, you can all sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 42: The Calm Before The Storm**

Ozpin sits at his desk while James, Glynda, Winter, Qrow, and Jecht either sit or stand around his office. Winter and James stare at the two drunks with menacing looks. "What were you thinking?" questions Winter.

"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot," threatens Ironwood.

"If I was one of your men, I would shoot myself," replies Qrow as he takes a sip from a flask before offering some to Jecht

"While I wouldn't condone his actions," begins Glynda as she draws the attention to her as Jecht takes a sip from the flask, "Your retaliation didn't help either."

"They were drunk!" complains Winter.

"Qrow is always drunk! As for his friend... I have no idea about his drinking habits."

"I was sober when I came to your slice of Hell," admits Jecht, "Then this asshat found me and showed me some of the best damn liquor I ever had."

Ozpin sighs internally. "Qrow, why are you here?" he asks in hopes to defuse the situation.

"You have been out of contact for weeks!" exclaims James, "You can't just go dark on the field like that!"

"I am not one of special operatives, _Jimmy!_ " snaps Qrow, "You sent me to get intel on our enemies, and I am telling you they are here!"

"We know."

"Well thank you so much for letting us know!" retorts Jecht.

"Yeah, we have been risking our lives to keep your asses up to date, but you already seem to have all the answers! Communication is a two-way street buddy!" Qrow pulls out his scroll from his pocket. "You see this buddy, it's the fucking send button."

"We had reason to believe you were compromised," responds Winter.

"And I have reason to believe you shouldn't even be here."

"What about your drunk friend?"

"He is in too deep with this shit to turn back now. You better leave, Ice Queen." Winter glares at Qrow when the general nods.

"Schnee, we will discuss this later," states Ironwood.

"Yes, sir," replies Winter with a defeated tone. She walks toward the elevator and steps inside. Once the doors close, Ozpin turns his attention to Qrow.

"Go on," he says.

"Your little infiltrator is not just some pawn," he states, "They are the one responsible for Autumn's condition."

"What?" Glynda asks in shock.

"Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers, or generals, or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about!"

"I know I know nothing about your world and all that," begins Jecht, "But if there is one thing I know, it is that you never send an army for some secret mission. You send a few men and use the shadows for cover, ya know. Then again, I may be some crazy old drunk who seems to follow the first person who shows me any respect when I wind my ass up in some new world."

"The shadows weren't working," argues James, "I am here because it was necessary."

"You are here because Ozpin wanted you here," corrects Qrow, "He made you part of this little circle and open your eyes to the real fight."

"And how is that different from you and your friend here?"

"Because I found him while I was being your little errand boy. Jecht saw what I saw, and he is from Spira." Ironwood stares for a minute, looking at the drunken man behind Qrow. "Yeah, same place Oz's boys Tidus and Auron are from."

"And how exactly does he relate to them?"

"Tidus is my son," answers Jecht, "Though I wasn't much of a father to the kid, I still helped create him. Auron, that man, he might as well have been a brother to me. You know the man was about as old as me last time I saw him. Guess the dead don't really age well when they come back."

"I thought Mr. Ronin was only twenty-five?" asks Glynda, causing Jecht to laugh.

"Yeah, maybe ten years ago. Tell me, have you seen any man at that age look as old and worn as him."

"While I could tell he has plenty of experience, he showed only slight age compared to the other students."

"Yeah, because the son of a bitch was lucky enough to get his old body back. But we are getting off topic here."

"Yes we are," confirms Ozpin, "Continue Qrow."

"Happily," replies Qrow as he turns to Ironwood, "You know, when I look out those windows and see a fucking army, I don't see a symbol of hope. I see the possibility of war."

"This is to show whoever is trying to destroy this very world the power of which we will use to make sure we keep it safe."

"You think your little ships will do anything. I have been out there, and what she is making will eat your ships for breakfast just for the fun of it. They are fear."

"Not to mention what he brings to the table," adds Jecht, "This Seymour guy brought a fucking dragon down upon your freaking city. You are lucky that black coat man was there, or your city would be a lot worse. The two of them together will create something no one wants, especially if he truly wants to become Sin. And trust me, we don't want Sin."

"And why is that exactly?" asks Ironwood.

"You know those giant, black, shoopuffs?"

"The goliaths, yes."

"Those things would be ants compared to Sin. It is nothing but a colossal beast of pure terror dead set on killing everything and everyone. It's presence had the power to strike fear in everyone in a fucking country. I should know, I was the damn thing at one point!"

"Yes, but Tidus and Yuna stopped you, correct?" asks a new voice. The group turns to the window to see RagingKey standing inside with an evil grin.

"Who are you?" questions Ironwood.

"Professor RagingKey. I teach Fiend Studies here at Beacon. I am also the man who cut the Bahamut in half during the small breach of Vale."

"Ahh, good," replies Qrow, "We got someone who can fight."

"I also have some information on Seymour that will be valuable." Everyone calms down as Rage look around at the room. "Seymour can create fiends at will, but I can tell you already guessed that. He is also a gifted mage and he wasn't locked into this world's rules when he crossed over like Jecht, Auron and Tidus, meaning he can use his magic at will as well. We can't kill him, there is some sort of divine protection back in Spira that I am close to pinpointing. I think once things start to play out more will be revealed.

"I also believe I may know why Autumn is in such a condition. You see, I have traced back her powers to that of the Fayth."

"You don't mean that they are Aeons!" exclaims Jecht as he stands from his seat.

"No, they are not. Aeons are the soul's attempt to express itself by shaping a fiend. A Fayth is the soul of the Aeon in the form they were before they passed, quite similar to you when you were the Final Aeon, yet you managed to have a form reminiscent of your own when you were not in that form. Once a Fayth creates their fiend, the Aeon will always become that fiend. In Spira, in order to access these powers they must entrust them to a summoner in hopes that Yevon will be stopped."

"So how are they different here in Remnant?" Qrow asks.

"And how did this Seymour Guado manage to summon one in the middle of Vale?" questions Ozpin.

"Because of two reasons," replies Rage, "First is the fact that unlike Jecht, Tidus, and Auron he actually got stronger when he crossed into your world. He even said it himself when he summoned Bahamut that Yevon gave him powers when he died."

"The Guado were a race who could create small fiends by gathering pyreflies," adds Jecht, "This is the reason they were in charge of the Farplane. It is where those who are sent, otherwise known as dead, go. Their pyreflies can recreate their souls be joining together, but they can also be gathered into fiends if used outside."

"The Fayth had been sent after Yevon was defeated, meaning that they were in the Farplane at the time. From my findings, whatever caused Seymour and our Spirian allies to come here, managed to tamper with the Farplane. Because of Seymour's heritage, he is able to access the Farplane because it is what is connecting us to them.

"The second reason is the strongest. Seymour was a summoner before coming here. He has connections with the Aeons, which makes it easier for him to create them. They may not come from a true summon, but they are just as strong."

"How does this explain Autumn?" Ironwood asks, "To me, it seems you are beating around the bush a little bit."

"You see, the reason the Fayth were able to gift their powers was because in Spira, a soul could exist without a body. Some exist in a physical sense, while others in a spiritual sense. But in Remnant, a soul only exists within the body, so when someone with the Fayth is within them dies, the power is transferred to someone else.

"Whoever attacked her knew this and tried to steal the Fayth, but couldn't get the entire soul. They might know how to create an Aeon from their Fayth, and use it in battle should they get the other hald. I fear for what they have in store, and I believe the people outside fear your ships, Mr. Ironwood. They fear them more than they feel protected"

"When people see an army, they think conflict," continues Ozpin, "When they see a guardian, they think of hope."

"Then you better find a guardian."

"One more question," states Glynda.

"Yes?"

"How the hell did you get in here?"

"Hell." A portal of fire appears behind Rage before Glynda can respond. Turning, RagingKey walks through it and disappears, leaving no trace of his presence.

* * *

"And with an amazing upset, Emerald and Mercury are victorious!" announces Professor Port in shock. Auron watches in awe as his girlfriend and her teammate lose in the doubles round of the match. The guardian stands up and walks over to the locker rooms, where he finds Coco and Yatsuhashi looking at the ground after their match.

"Hey guys," he begins. Coco looks up to her boyfriend and signals for him to come over. Auron sits down next to her and wraps his arm around her. "How are you feeling?"

"A little cruddy right now," she replies, "But it's a little better now that you're here."

"Glad I could help." Auron gives Coco a small peck on the cheek before rubbing her head. "You two fought well."

"Thanks," says Yatsuhashi, "They were good, I'll give them that."

"Yeah, though I still am trying to figure out something," adds Coco.

"What's that?"

"During the match, right before Yatsu was knocked out, I could of swore I saw him running up next to me."

"That's odd, Yatsu never approached the forest."

"I know, right." Coco looks back to the floor. "Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me."

"That might be, but I think it might be more than that."

"What is it then?"

"You said you swore you saw Yatsu run up next to you, correct?" Coco nods. "Now, if it was a simple trick you would of saw maybe a rustle of leaves or a phantom attack from Emerald due to the heat of battle. But for someone to just run up to you in battle is more like an illusion than a simple mistake of the eyes."

"Are you sure?"

"No, but it is a possibility." Coco relaxes a little bit in his arms. "You guys might want to get some rest, tonight. I want to hear you guys in the stands during my match."

Coco and Yatsu chuckle at the former guardian. "Alright, Old Man. I will head to bed. You better not lose."

"I don't plan on it." The trio laughs as they leave the locker room and head towards the dorms of Beacon.

* * *

Winter and Weiss sit down in a nice open pavilion as they enjoy a cup of tea with each other. As they two talk, the younger sister nearly spits out her tea at the news she was told. "You're leaving?" she asks to confirm.

"Yes tomorrow," replies Winter, "I was merely sent to oversee the transport of additional units to Vale. Our last shipment was lost in an ambush. I believe you had a run in with our products. You were lucky they were in their prototype stage, or you may have not fared so well." Weiss sighs in defeat when a comforting hand rests on her shoulder. The heiress looks up to see Airu standing over her, with her wings folded nicely.

"You have done fine Weiss," reassures Airu, "I am pretty sure you guys could take care of a factory version now as well."

"And what exactly are you doing here?" growls Winter.

"What, a lady can't enjoy a cup of tea?"

"We are discussing family matters at the moment." Airu forms a 'O' shape with her mouth but doesn't respond. With a simple nod, she turns to leave.

"Wait!" calls out Weiss before she turns back to her older sister, "There is something else I wanted to talk about with you, and I would like it if she joined us for this." Winter glares at Airu for a moment, before taking a deep breath.

"Alright," she replies as she lifts the teapot and pours Airu a cup. As the harpy takes a seat, Winter hands her the cup, to which Airu happily accepts. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I…" Weiss trails off as she looks to Airu, who nods in approval, "I wanted to properly introduce you to Airu. She is my… girlfriend." Weiss looks down, not able to look her sister in the eye. Airu, however, is caught by Winter's death stare, one that even sends shivers down the harpy's spine.

"I see. So this ea- harpy- is your girlfriend?" Weiss bites her lip and nods. "You do know what our father would say if you brought her home to him?" Another nod. "And even though you know of the sins she has committed?" Weiss nods once more, but this time Airu sets her glass down with a intentional _clink._

"Is this going to be a problem?" Airu asks coldly, returning the stare that Winter is giving her, "Look, I know your family has their problems with Faunus. I know how strict you father can be, at least as much as Weiss has told me." Airu lowers her glare and looks to the ground. "And I know what I have done to those who didn't deserve it was wrong. I am not asking you to forget all that, believe me, I have tried. Weiss didn't even want to tell you about me yet because this would be how you would react. I wanted this. I guess I just wanted to at least attempt to be nice to her family, but if you think this is going to be a problem, I understand."

Silence follows. No one says anything as the wind blows through the pavilion. Finally, after a minute, Winter speaks up. "Airu, do you love Weiss?"

Airu tries to respond, but nothing comes out. She looks down again before looking Winter straight in the eyes. "I… I don't know yet. I like her, yeah, but this is not my strong suit. How do you know if you love someone, if you don't know the feeling of love, true love? If I truely know, I would tell you." Winter continues to stare. "I guess I answered wrong then."

"No, I find your answer perfect, actually." Airu blinks twice, trying to understand what she just said. "You said you were unsure, that you knew you liked my sister, but you are not familiar with love itself. It can be hard to know exactly when you truly love someone, so I understand your turmoil. I can't say the same for our father, but I welcome you to the family."

Airu leans back to process the information. "Thank you." Airu looks down into the tea in her cup. "This is the closest I have had to a real family, so really, thank you."

"Now I know this might be a little rude after what just happened," continues Winter, "But would you mind giving me and my sister a chance to discuss some other matters." Airu wipes the tears she didn't know she had from her eyes.

"Yeah, not a problem." As the harpy walks toward the exit of the pavilion, she stops to give Weiss a quick hug before leaving with a huge smile on her face.

* * *

As night falls upon Vale, a dark red portal opens up atop the clock tower that is Beacon Academy. From the portal steps a raven-haired woman dressed in a red and black kimono with a red sash. On her side is a large rotating sheath to which holds different katana blades infused with Dust. Her face is covered by a Grimm mask, similar to the White Fang.

Feeling safe, the woman removes the mask, revealing a face very similar, though older, to Yang's. As she sets the mask down, the sound of footsteps catches her attention. Turning around, she places a hand on the handle of her sword, allowing it to rotate to the fire blade. Once the figure walking steps around the corner, she slashes forward with a quick draw technique.

As her blade approaches the figure, it raises a single finger into the path of the blade. The two connect, and the blade stops dead in its tracks to the finger. "Now," says the figure, "Is violence necessary, Raven?"

"Who are you?" growls the now named Raven. The blade ignites as fire sparks from the finger of the figure with a male voice. Light from the fire shows the face of RagingKey with a devilish smirk. "Oh, it's you."

"You don't sound happy to see me."

"I already promised Yang that it would be the last time I helped her, but then you had to send your lackey to save her again. If she were to die, then so be it."

"Yet here you are. If you truly wished for her to survive on her own, you wouldn't be here right now." Raven tries to respond, but is unable to find the words. "Besides, I only saved her to keep the world in order."

"What do you mean?"

"Seymour isn't suppose to be here. If she were to die because of him, it would upset the balance of the world."

"And what of the lives of those around him?"

"I have found that when something joins a fight, that the opposition receives something of equal or greater value. Seymour and AART are an example of this, therefore they are able to strike each other out without much changing. And even if change happens, if the world is not dependent of said person dying or not, the timeline will continue to flow without a hitch.

"But I do not follow that rule. My presence is unaffected by most laws of a world, meaning that I can do as I please. But that also means that I have to ensure that events don't destroy the timelines. That is why I am here, and that is why I saved your daughter. Don't rely on it though, because when her time comes, I will watch it happen."

"At least you and me can agree on something." Raven reaches down and picks up her mask. "May this be the last time we see each other." She puts on the mask and cuts a portal into the air.

"No promises." A portal of fire appears behind Rage. The two walk through their portals, allowing them to disappear into nothingness, leaving no trace of their meeting.

* * *

 **Lots of information just got dropped. The Maidens' powers are derived from the Fayth, Rage and Raven know each other, and Jecht is drinking again. How will this play out? You will just have to wait and see.**

 **Again, I am so sorry about this being late, as I said, Finals, Beta is busy with family, and that is why it is late. I will however being posting today's chapter as usual in a little while, so that's a plus, right? Until then, I will leave you to wait.**


	45. Chapter 43: AART vs JNPR

**Here it is, as promised, the chapter for today. After such a huge info dump that was the last chapter, I figure we can just move on to the next fight. Team AART vs Team JNPR. This will change canon, and will be the first of many during this volume, so be ready.**

 **Special thanks to Saint of vice koncor and Dragonwing1995 for the follow and favorite. My Beta is still** **unavailable, so this is edited by me using Google Docs Spellcheck, so be warned. Either way, please sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 43: AART vs JNPR**

The roar of the crowd rips through the arena as teams stand ready for their matches. Up in the commentator's booth, Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port are as lively as ever. "Welcome back folks," begins Oobleck, "Today continues our doubles round, and we will be joined once more by our very special commentator. Everyone say hello to Professor RagingKey."

Sitting next to the caffeinated doctor is Rage, dressed in his usual clothes. "Thank you Doctor," replies Rage, "It is a pleasure to be here as always. As a man who has traveled all over, it always excites me to watch fights such as these."

"Oh ho ho ho," bellows Port, "I am sure you have plenty of tales from your past you would love to share."

"Many of tales I have, but for now we should pay attention to the students as they begin to forge their own. Cue the randomizer." The randomizer spins like slots on the large screen before stopping on Airu/Auron and Pyrrha/Nora. "Well this should be an interesting match up. Representing Team AART and Beacon is the eagle Faunus with a tongue as sharp as her sword, as well as the oldest first year we have. Give it up for Airu Mirai and Auron Ronin." The crowd begins to cheer, and cower, as the two enter the arena.

"And now, their opponents, also from Beacon, is Team JNPR. We have the strongest woman on the team, and the only woman I know who can use a watermelon as a hammer, Nora Valkyrie. Her teammate should be known round the world, Mrs. Invincible, the four time champ of the Mistral tournament, Pyrrha Nikos. Folks, this will be a night to remember." Pyrrha and Nora step into the arena to the hoots and hollers of the crowd.

The two teams meet in the middle. "Looks like we are opponents this time," comments Airu, "Don't think that your tournament wins will make much of a difference here. I won't be going easy on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," replies Pyrrha with a grin.

"At least your humble," adds Auron.

"Pancakes!" exclaims Nora, resulting in everyone, including the crowd, facepalming.

"This is a fight, not breakfast!" exclaims Rage as he speaks through the microphone.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." The environment slots spin before stopping on four different biomes. Behind Pyrrha forms a ruined city, Nora a smaller version of the Thunder Plains, Auron a desert, and Airu a metal biome. Everyone draws their weapons and waits while the timer counts down. Once it hits zero, Auron charges at Nora while Pyrrha switches Milo into its javelin form and throws her shield at the harpy. Airu moves her head, causing it to bounce off one of the metal poles before returning to Pyrrha with a little help from her Semblance.

Auron swings his sword down upon the pancake lover, only for her to roll out of the way. To counter, she turns and swings her hammer toward the guardian. Raising his left arm, he blocks the strike with his bare hand and the two struggle for power. Taking his sword off his shoulders, Auron tries to swing Masamune at Nora, only for the blade to be struck by lightning. The current travels through his sword and into her side as the blade connects to her.

"Damnit!" is all he can say as Nora begins to overpower him due to her Semblance. She raises her hammer for a moment, only to bring it back down upon Auron, driving him into the ground. She then positions herself like a golfer, pulls back, and her hammer crashes into Auron, sending him into the ruins.

Airu blocks a strike from Pyrrha, who now has Milo in xiphos form, and tries to counter with her rapier. As the blade nears her chest, certain to hit, a strange pull forces the blade to the side. Before the gladiator can capitalize, a strong gust of wind forces her back into one of the metal poles. Like lightning, Airu shoots forward toward Pyrrha with a stab, only for her rapier to hit the pole above her head. Electricity runs down the blade and pole as it sends a mild shock across Pyrrha's back.

Pyrrha kicks the harpy away and resumes her battle position. Airu grins at the gladiator before charging at her once more. The harpy swings her sword side to side, each time missing Pyrrha, but still hitting her with the cutting edge of a wind. With one final thrust, Airu sends Pyrrha into a large piece of metal. The gladiator gets back to her feet quickly and looks to the harpy. "How are you getting past my protection?" she asks.

"I am just making my Semblance a little more obvious," Airu replies, "I see this as you having two choices, lose your secret, or lose the match." Airu grins evilly as she sheaths her rapier. "Better make your decision fast, or I'll make it for you." In a blast of speed, aided by the wind, Airu slashes forward with her butterfly swords and lands two hits on Pyrrha through her wind.

"You know, you are the first who actually made me use this to the extent I will be. Consider yourself lucky." Pyrrha's body glows grey as she begins to lift the pieces of metal with her Semblance. Rods and scraps of metal gather around her in the air. With a simple hand motion, she sends them all towards Airu.

"Sorry girl, gonna have to do better than that." Drawing wind from the desert behind her, Airu surrounds herself with a powerful vortex and a light green glow, trapping the metal around her and even drawing up sand. Taking further control, she gathers the vortex around her arms, allowing the metal to surround her blades. "Have fun with all this metal."

With a powerful push of her wings, Airu bursts towards Pyrrha with the metal and sand following her. The harpy crosses her swords and rises above the gladiator. She swings her blades in the shape of an 'X', sending not only wind, but fire, ice, sand, and the rest of the metal all toward Pyrrha. The attack causes a large cloud of smoke to cover the metal biome.

"And in a impressive display of power," begins Oobleck, "Airu has managed to reduce Pyrrha's Aura from 80% to 1%. Pyrrha Nikos is unable to continue."

On the other side, Auron pushes the rubble of another building off of him. He takes a moment to look at his scroll, 32% Aura left. That is all he needs. Nora charges in again, as Auron begins to glow white. Feeling the energy, he takes a sip from his canteen and spits the liquid back on his blade. "You shall suffer!" he chants as he takes Masamune with both hands and raises above his head. The dark energy and ruins begin to swirl around the blade. With a pulse, it finishes gathering. "Banishing Blade!"

Auron swings his sword down, sending four small balls of dark energy up into the air. Nora quickly approaches the guardian, only to be hit by the four orbs and be sent back. Her body begins to glow red along her arms, yellow on her chest, blue on her head, and purple on her legs. Auron rests his blade on his shoulders as Nora begins to stand.

"I should thank you," he says.

"Why is that?"

"Because when I am at full Aura, my strength is half of what it should. Consider it a curse of Masamune. But now that I am down to around 30%, my power is nearly tripled." The guardian begins to glow white once more. "Pray! Now!" he chants while charging the crazed girl. He stops and slides, gripping his sword like a bat. "Shooting Star!" With one powerful swing, he launches Nora into the forcefield protecting the spectators, causing a small crack to form.

The crowd watches in awe for a moment, before bursting into cheering. "And with that powerful attack, Auron has won the match for his team," declares Rage, "Team AART moves on to the singles round. Congratulations Team AART, and better luck next time, JNPR."

* * *

In their dorm, Emerald paces back and forth in anger. "Oh come on!" she rants, "We were suppose to have the invincible girl move on. Now how are we supposed to continue on?"

Cinder sits on her bed, looking at her scroll. "Why do you think I hacked the network from her room?" she asks, not wanting a response, "Because they proved to be a hassle to our plans. Now that we have the randomizer program in lock, why do you think I put those two against each other?"

"Because they would use their powers in a similar fashion," answers Mercury.

"Exactly. We may not have the hero everyone wants but we have the destructive force everyone fears. Imagine how people will fear if something like that had an accident in the arena, in front of millions of people."

"You mean besides attempted rape?"

"Yes. Vale will be in chaos soon, we will reach our goals soon."

* * *

Team AART and JNPR are sitting together at a noodle stand after their match. "To Team AART and their fearless leader, Airu," cheers Nora.

"Thanks guys," Airu replies, "And sorry for pelting you with a lot of metal."

"It's fine, I was able to avoid any sharp pieces," responds Pyrrha.

"Still, you guys put up a good fight," adds Auron, "You might've made it if you didn't have to face us."

"And you guys deserve the spot more than we do," replies Lie Ren.

"Well said, my calm counterpart," complements Ren Glain.

"We'll make sure to cheer for you in the singles round, Airu," adds Jaune.

"You better, Airu is going to sweep the rest of the tournament," claims Tidus. As the two teams continue to eat, they watch Weiss and Yang battle against the team from Atlas, FNKI. Pyrrha's scroll goes off, drawing their attention to her. She reads the message before placing the scroll in her pocket.

"I'm sorry guys, Ozpin wants to talk with me," says Pyrrha, answering the question everyone has. As she stands up, Tidus stands up with her.

"I'll walk with you," he declares, "I am pretty sure my dad is still cooped up in Ozpin's office, anyways."

"Alright." The two nod to each other as they walk towards Beacon. Once they are good distance away from the two teams, Tidus wraps his arm around Pyrrha, pulling her in close. The two walk towards the school together, within each other's arms.

* * *

Ozpin, Qrow, and Jecht stand or sit at the headmaster's desk. Qrow looks pissed about something and Jecht begins to look a little sober. "You know that Ironwood guy is making you look like a fool?" Jecht asks.

"His heart is in the right place," defends Ozpin.

"Sometimes I wonder if he even has a heart," retorts Qrow, "So, have you found your guardian?"

"Maidens choose themselves, I just believe I found the right candidate to be our guardian." The elevator dings and the door opens, allowing Tidus and Pyrrha to step inside. Jecht looks to the couple, then to Qrow, and then to Ozpin.

"You are not having my son go on another pilgrimage as a guardian!" roars Jecht.

"Relax Sir Jecht," Ozpin orders, "I had asked to the girl next to him to come, he just happened to show up as well. Beside, how could a male be a maiden?"

"What's going on here?" asks Tidus. Jecht sighs before turning to his son.

"Nothing, just a misunderstanding," says Jecht, "Come with me, we have much to discuss."

"I agree." Tidus and Jecht step into the elevator and take it back down, leaving Pyrrha to Ozpin and Qrow. Tidus turns to his father, "So, how has life been now that you aren't Sin?"

"Well, my back hurts, my joints ain't what they use to be, there is no blitzball, but at least I am not killing for the sake of killing."

"That's good, have you discovered your Semblance since you arrived?"

"Yeah, but I don't think it is wise to show you. Especially with everyone around." The elevator stops on the ground floor, and the two step out. They walk for a few minutes in silence before Jecht stops in an empty hall. "Son, what is your favorite fairy tale?"

Elsewhere, Auron, Airu, and Ren Glain stand in an alleyway as RagingKey asks them the same question. "Why do you ask?" asks Auron.

Back with Tidus, "There is something you need to know about this world," says Jecht, "Something I feel, no I know, you will end up getting involved in."

"What is it?" asks Airu to Rage.

"Are you familiar with the legend of the four maidens?" Rage and Jecht ask in unison.

* * *

 **Team AART wins, and you can see where I am going with this change. Team AART is also learned the secret of the Maidens, but not much else happening. I am going to leave you all to enjoy the holidays. So until next time, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and whatever else you all celebrate this holiday season.**


	46. Chapter 44: Raising Hell

**Merry Late Christmas everyone. I hope you all had a good holiday weekend, and those of you who are still celebrating, well happy holidays. What better way to keep the party going than a new chapter of your favorite story. We will finally get to see that match you all have been waiting for, Airu vs Penny. So, instead of my rambling, why don't you all just sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 44: Raising Hell**

Team AART gather in their dorm room after learning about the Maidens from Rage and Jecht. A shocked and confused look crosses all of their faces as they try to process the information. "This… has become more serious than before," comments Airu.

"Four woman with the powers of the Fayth," recites Tidus, "That can't be good if Seymour gets a hold of them."

"And from what we heard," adds Auron, "He already has part of one under his wing. We need to locate the other three to make sure they won't fall to him and his allies."

"One problem," states Ren, "We don't know where they are yet. I can see if Ironwood has any information, I managed to find an access point to his personal system when I was looking over my files today. Until then, I suggest on focusing on the tournament and preparing for the coming war."

Airu stands up from her bed and announces, "Come on guys, I have to get ready for a fight, so let's get over to the arena."

"Aright," agrees Auron. Team AART leave their room and head towards the arena.

* * *

Team AART minus Airu take their seats next to Team JNPR and Team RWBY minus Yang. Everyone looks excited with the exception being Pyrrha, but no one notices. They cheer from the stands as the finalists of the singles rounds stand in the center of the arena. Yang, Airu, Sun, Mercury and others stand and wave in anticipation for their first match.

In the press box, Doctor Oobleck, Professor Port, and RagingKey sit near the microphones as they wait for the signal to start. The cameraman gives the signal and Port speaks into the mic first, "Now, the moment you all have been waiting for, the one-on-one finals! Rage my friend, would you like to explain the rules."

"Certainly," replies Rage, "You see, the singles round will not be bracket formated and all matches will be choosen minutes before the match begins. You could fight only one match, or fight them all, and the only clue as to who you will be facing is by looking around to you opponents."

"This gives competitors zero time to prepare," adds Oobleck.

"Much like any good hunt, if I might add," states Port.

"Now that we have explained the rules, let us see who the first match is." The slots on the screen spin. After a few seconds, they stop on Yang and Mercury. "Ahh, Mrs. Xiao Long vs Mr. Black. This will be a true test of strength and speed, but who will come out on top?" The rest of the finalists walk off the stage, allowing the two fighters to have all the room they will need. "And begin!"

* * *

Yang charges at Mercury with her Semblance activated and nails him in the gut. While suspended in air, the blonde brawler reels her hand back and punches him in the face. Mercury lands on his back with his Aura in the red.

"What a way to kick off the finals!" cheers Port.

"Yes it is," agrees Rage, "Mrs. Xiao Long from Beacon wins the match." Yang turns away from Mercury and begins her usual swagger walk.

"Better luck next time," she taunts. To her surprise, he stand back up with a murderous glare.

"There won't be a next time, blondie," he declares with her back to her. To Yang, he charges at her with another kick as she turns around. To everyone else, he just stands up. Yang punches Mercury in the knee for everyone to see.

"Cut the cameras!" orders Oobleck as Mercury falls down with a knee injury.

"Someone help the poor man!" cries Port.

"I got it!" exclaims Rage as he opens the press box window. He leaps out the window, using his fire abilities to practically teleport to Mercury as he holds his knee in pain. Rage ushers away the medical staff as he examines the boy. "I am going to take a look at your leg, so sorry about your pants." Before Mercury could object, Rage tears the left pant leg off his jeans to look at the bloody mess of bone and flesh around the kneecap, or he would if the illusion was working on him. Instead, Rage sees what was truly there, a prosthetic leg reaching up to the midpoint of his thigh. "How much does it hurt?"

"Too much," replies Mercury through sobs.

"Really, I thought metal prosthetics had no pain sensors." Rage looks around the stands and notices Emerald with a faint green glow surrounding her. Rage grins as he creates a small fire in her hair, breaking her concentration. As she puts out the flames, the illusion that covered Mercury's legs wore off, allowing the nearby EMT's to see his prosthetics. "And if I remember, these are illegal prosthetics as you were never approved to have these."

Rage looks back and notices the soldiers with Yang at gunpoint. He then looks at Mercury's undamaged leg and sighs. "Mrs. Xiao Long, due to the nature of the event transpired, I must disqualify you from this tournament due to an unprovoked attack after the match. You are lucky that your opponent was not truly hurt, though the matters of his legs will be dealt with later. Mr. Black, I ask that you get your equipment approved before your next tournament. You are free to join your team again and watch the rest of the tournament." Helping the young man to his feet, Rage makes one last check of his leg and sends Mercury on his way.

* * *

Later in the evening, Pyrrha walks around the fairgrounds with her head hung low as she thinks about what she was told by Ozpin. After losing the will to walk, she sits down along the side of a building. The sight of cotton candy catches her eye. Looking up, she sees Tidus standing over her with a couple sticks of cotton candy. "Hey," he says, "You are looking a little down. You okay?"

"Yeah, just a lot on my mind, that's all," she replies. Pyrrha remains silent for a minute, just enjoying the time with Tidus. "I just don't know what to do?"

"What is it?"

"Do you believe in destiny?" Silence follows the question.

"I… I think that destiny is what you make it. You can be given every tool for the task, but it won't matter unless you work towards it. It is something you never stop reaching for, something that drives you to be the best you can be at whatever you do."

"Well... what would you do if something came along that you... never expected? Something that had the potential to stand between you and your destiny?"

"I don't know. I mean, before I arrived in Spira I always thought my destiny was to step out of my old man's shadow, to become something better than him. When I was transported to Spira, all I could think about was to find a way back. I guess as time went on, I found a new destiny, to protect those I love against any dangers."

"But what if something came along that could allow you to achieve your destiny instantly, but at the cost of who you were."

"It depends on what you believe your destiny is, I suppose. What are you really asking, because this is starting to not make any sense?"

Pyrrha stands straight up as she continues. "None of this makes any sense! This isn't how things were suppose to happen!"

Tidus stands up next to her. "Then tell me what's going on. Stop beating around the bush and get to the point already."

"I always thought that I was destined to become a Huntress- to protect the world. But I found that my feelings were right, but I am not sure I can do it." Tidus firmly grips the gladiator's shoulders to calm her.

"Yes you can! If you want this then do it. Don't let others stand in your way! This is your story, so don't let others write it for you!" Tidus calms himself down again. "It is your choice if you want to accept the maiden's power, just don't take the decision lightly." Pyrrha steps back in shock.

"How do you know about that?"

"My old man told me. That new teacher also told the rest of my team."

"So you know what I have to do?"

"Yes, that is why you must make the choice. Just make sure you do what you want, okay."

"Okay." Pyrrha quickly runs up to the blonde dream and gives him a hug. With tears running down her face, she turns to him and says, "Thank you."

"Not a problem."

* * *

Auron knocks on the door to RWBY's dorm. "Come in," orders the voice in the room. Auron steps inside to see Yang looking out the window towards the fairgrounds.

"How are you doing?" he asks.

"Oh, just fine. I mean, I just got kicked out of the tournament for punching a kid who attacked me. How the fuck do you think I am feeling!"

"I want to know exactly what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to know what you saw?"

"I heard him say, 'there won't be a next time,' and then I turn around and he was charging me."

"As I thought."

"What is it?" Yang takes a threatening step forward.

"Coco claimed she saw Yatsu in the forest during her fight, and you say Mercury attack you. Rage lit Emerald's hair on fire and the EMT's were able to see Mercury's prosthetic legs. Something tells me that Emerald has the power of illusions. I think she made you think you were attacked so he could fake an injury and get you disqualified. But it seems even after being revealed, you still were taken out of the tournament."

"So you are saying that Emerald is up to something bigger than this?"

"Yes, but what exactly, I can't be sure."

* * *

Ruby and Ren sit in the stands as they get ready to watch the next match. In the seats above them, Emerald hides under a hoodie as she grins at the last match for the night. "And our final match of the evening is…" begins Rage as the slots begin to spin. Once they stop, her grin becomes a smile, "Penny Polendina vs Airu Mirai."

The two combatants ready themselves in the arena. Airu draws her butterfly swords while Penny bows. Despite not officially meeting, Ruby had told Airu everything about Penny plus Ren had pulled up her files from Ironwood's access.

"And, begin!" Rage starts the match and swords appear from Penny's backpack and surround her backside. Penny quickly charges forward with her swords trailing behind, held to her back by tiny strings. The robotic girl turns her body to the side as the blade fly towards the harpy. Airu holds her right blade like a shield, allowing the blades to bounce off like a saw. Not wasting a moment, the harpy pushes the swords to the side and swings her other blade, sending a wave of ice towards the robot.

Using the drag to her advantage, Penny rolls out of the way of the ice while using her blades to pull her towards Airu. With another buzz saw attack, Penny forces Airu to block once more. The harpy pulls the swords toward her this time with her wind Semblance, dragging the robot girl with her. Slipping through her defense, Airu slashes at Penny and knocks her to the ground. The harpy continues with her ruthless attack with a double slash to Penny's torso as she struggles to get up.

Airu sends a wave of fire with her sword towards Penny as the robot rolls to the side. Using her string tied swords, Penny slashes at Airu in more eccentric attacks, forcing Airu to parry each attack. The harpy swings her sword upwards and misses the block, allowing a barrage of sword attacks to cut away at her Aura.

The harpy jumps back and checks the Aura levels. Airu has around 75% while Penny sits at 80%. "Guess it's time to step things up a little," mummers Airu. The winds slowly begin to pick up as she charges at the robot. As a defense, Penny directs her swords with another flurry of erratic attacks. Airu hops into the air and spins, using the wind to speed herself up and her blades knock aside any attack. The harpy crashes into Penny, her swords slashing up and down the robot's body and dropping her Aura down to 62%.

Penny lands a distance away from Airu as the two make it back to their feet. She raises her swords above her body as they begin to multiply. Airu looks up to the gathering blades and grins. "That might of worked," she whispers, "If Rage didn't have an attack just like that." Airu raises her wings, making them more visible to the crowd. Pulling them back, the wings begin to glow with a light green hue. A familiar energy courses through her body, one she has not felt in the months since she arrived in Remnant, magic energy. "Aeroga!" she chants as she thrusts her wings forward, sending a massive gust of wind towards the floating swords.

Once the wind touches the blades, they disappear, leaving only the ones that originally existed. Said swords are sent back towards Penny, the strings wrapping around her body. As the strings tighten up, they cut through Penny's body and remove her legs. Another string rips through her torso and arms. The winds die down as Airu realizes Penny's condition, allowing her body to fall to the ground.

"NO!" exclaims Port.

"Fuck!" Rage curses, "Someone cut the cameras!"

"We can't!" shouts the cameraman, "We don't have control!"

"Where is the main power box for this fucking place then?"

"This way!" Rage follows the camera man through the halls when the video feed on the screen turns to a black queen chess piece over a red background.

"This is not a tragedy," a female voice over claims, "This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men. Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both." Ren watches from his eyepiece, now seeing the small file that found its way onto his screen, White_Queen_Tournament_ .

"They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by a ruthless Faunus with no other desire other than to kill. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference." Auron watches from a noodle stand with Weiss and Blake, gripping his blade that rest upon his shoulder. Tidus holds Pyrrha close as they watch the horror of the tournament unfolds from the courtyard tv's.

Airu just covers her mouth, knowing she took another life. The life of someone she knew her friends trusted, and the metaphorical blood is on her hands once again. "And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither." Rage continues running down the hall towards the control room. He reaches it to find Mercury standing over knocked out guards.

"As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark." Mercury kicks towards Rage who moves his head to the side, allowing the attack to knock out the camera man. The lord counters with a punch to Mercury's face, knocking him into the wall. Before Rage can reach him, a smoke bomb goes off and blinds him. Once the smoke clears, Mercury is gone and Rage looks around confused. "So I ask you: When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?"

The screech of a Nevermore rings through the air as it crashes into the the protective shields surrounding the the arena. A Garuda crashes into the barrier as well. "A Nevermore!" exclaims Sun, "And a...Guard-dog. No, that's not it. A…"

"Garuda," corrects Coco, "How the hell did they get past the kingdom's defenses."

"They didn't come alone," answers Ren Glain, "A threat level nine warning has just been issued, and that barrier won't hold for long." Almost on cue, the barrier breaks and the fiend and Grimm crash down, both flying towards Airu who sits motionless at the approaching enemies.

"Airu!"

* * *

 **Airu kills Penny. This is just the beginning. More blood will be spilled and with about seven chapters on the Battle of Beacon, you can be sure that they will be awesome. Yes, Rage is immune to illusions because of bullshit OP powers, but then again that is why he is doing as little as possible to change the world. But all that aside, I will see you all on Friday for the last chapter of the year. So make a count down, because this will be epic.**


	47. Chapter 45: City Siege

**Happy New Year everyone, and sorry for the very late update. I was going to put this up Friday, before the new year, but I got called into work that morning and spent the night busy with family, Final Fantasy XV, and some Skyrim. So sorry but it is up now at least. We can finally begin the event that I have been waiting so long for, the Battle of Beacon.**

 **Also, special thanks to lamp912 for the favorite, and grimlock987 for the follow and favorite.**

 **Now, let the blood begin to pour while you sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 45: City Siege**

Auron ducks underneath the claw of a Creep Grimm and slices it in half. A Xiphos scurries its way over to the guardian with its blade leg raised. It tries to slash him, but Weiss blocks it with her rapier as Blake removes the leg. Another attack from her Gambol Shroud sends the fiend back to the Farplane.

Blake pulls out her scroll as it begins to ring. Answering, she says, "Yang, what's going on?"

" _I don't know,_ " Yang replies from the other line, " _Is Ruby with you?_ "

"No, she was back in the arena. Look, she can handle herself, you just have to trust her."

" _I know. I am just worried, okay._ "

"This can't be happening," states Weiss.

"Well it is, so deal with it," responds Auron.

" _Great. I got to go, the White Fang are releasing Grimm and fiends into the school._ "

"The White Fang are here?" asks Blake, but Yang is no longer there.

"Let's get to the docks, now," orders Auron, "I think that is where she is heading." The two girls nod and follow the guardian towards the docks, killing any Grimm and fiends they come across.

* * *

Tidus hops back to avoid the stinger of a Death Stalker, allowing it to imbed its stinger into the ground. The dream slices off the extra limb of the Grimm and shoots up a jet of water from underneath that sends it into the air. Tidus gets underneath the Grimm and stabs his blade through its underbelly to kill it.

A Cactuar lines up its shot and fires one thousand needles towards the dream, only for a orange round shield to spin in front of him and block the needles. Pyrrha runs toward her flying shield as the last of the needles are blocked and catches it in midair. Turning her body, she brings the shield completely around her and launches it towards the Cactuar. The little fiend hops back to avoid it, only for Pyrrha to move it with her Semblance and slice through it anyways.

The two stand back to back as they watch for any more enemies to appear. "We can thank Professor RagingKey for those fiend simulators," admits Pyrrha.

"Yeah, but they were a little too easy for me," adds Tidus.

"You also fought them regularly."

"I know. What do we do from here?"

"We need to head to Ozpin, now's the only chance we are going to have."

"Alright, let's go then." Tidus and Pyrrha take off towards the Beacon tower.

* * *

Back in the arena, the fiend and Grimm fall towards Airu, as she remains dumbstruck over killing Penny during the tournament. As the two birds near the harpy, a red blur appears from nowhere and tackles her out of the way. The two large creatures crash into the ground, sending up a large cloud of smoke.

Airu returns to her senses as she notices Ruby on top of her. She looks over the red girl's shoulder to see the Nevermore and Garuda get back to their feet. The crack of a rifle rips through the arena and the fiend reels its head, or what's left of it, back before collapsing into the ground and filling the air with Pyreflies. Airu turns to the stands to find Ren Glain with a sniper rifle he constructed resting upon his shoulder.

The caw of the Nevermore brings attention back to the Grimm. Before it can attack, several rocket lockers land on it, one of which snapped its neck. Students from the stands storm the arena to grab their weapons and prepare to fight.

Airu makes her way to her feet and looks at Ruby. With a clenched fist, she says, "Ruby, I am sorry."

"Me too," replies Ruby, "But it's not your fault."

"I know, but I won't stop blaming myself until we kill who did this. We will make sure no one else falls tonight!" The students look up to multiple griffon-like Grimm perched atop the arena walls.

"Griffons," gasps Ruby. Next to them are large black bird fiends with glowing wings.

"Great, we also have Zus," adds Airu.

"What's the plan of attack?" asks Neptune.

"Students, I believe it would be best if you get out of here," directs Port as he approaches from behind with his blunderbuss-axe in his hand.

"But-," Ruby begins to argue only to be stopped by Oobleck.

"This may go down as one of the biggest days in Remnant's history," states Oobleck, "I would prefer that my students are able to live and tell about it." Realizing what they are staying, Ruby nods.

"Let's go!" she commands. The students follow Ruby and leave the arena. Oobleck and Port stand back to back with their weapons drawn as the Grimm and fiends begin to circle them.

"One final match, Barty!" announces Port, "Place your bets now." Before the enemies can even charge, the crack of a gun catches their attention. The bullets begin flying everywhere, dropping the fiends and Grimm like flies. One of the Zus gets behind the professors and readies an attack, only to be sliced in half by a black blur surrounded by flames. The blur crashes into the ground in front of Port and Oobleck.

"I always bet on Black," the blur states, "And I think I should collect my winnings now." From the rubble of the crash rises RagingKey with a black long sword in his right hand, and a black revolver in the other.

"Just how exactly do you create such weapons with ease?" Oobleck asks the question he had pondered since he met the man.

"Black Diamond, that's all you need to know." Oobleck readies another question when more of the fiends and Grimm appear. "Time for round two."

* * *

The students from the arena make it out and gather around Ironwood as he finishes brutalizing a Beowolf. "What's going on?" asks Ruby.

"Grimm are crawling all over the city," begins Ironwood, "The White Fang's invaded Beacon, fiends are everywhere, and to make matters worse, some... vagabond has seized one of my ships. Until we regain command, the skies are out of our control."

"I am looking through the cameras right now," comments Ren Glain, "Looks like Roman has gotten out as well."

"How the hell do you access to my ships?"

"Whoever is doing managed to hack into the tournament system. I stopped them once, but they managed to get through using my access point. As a result, the files they have I can look through. I can't remove them, only view them."

"Either way," Ironwood turns to address all the students, "You all have two choices; stay and fight to protect this place, or go and find a safe place to hide. No one will fault you if you do." Ironwood steps into his drop ship and flies away.

"What do we do then?" Ruby asks Ren Glain.

"We take that ship back," replies Ren. He looks out to the city and pinpoints the ship they need to reach.

"How will we do that?"

"We run. There is a ramp over there that could launch up onto the ship." The gunslinger points down to the ramp where it will line up with the ship. "We just need to reach it within the next five minutes and be going really fast."

"I know I could, but how will you get there?"

"With these." Ren flares the Aura around his feet and activate a new funtion in his boots. The boots begin to light up as a light breeze emanates from the sides. "I sewed some wind dust into these, allowing me to run near your speed for about ten minutes. Once we get out of this mess, I will see about making them last longer, but for now this is all I got. Plus I have these." He pulls out two yellow feathers from his back pocket.

"Choccocobean feathers!"

" _Chocobo_! If you remember from Rage's class, these provide Haste, which will allow us to move very fast."

"Plus I will take another route once I am sure Weiss is safe and meet you up there," adds Airu as she passes by the two, "Don't kill Torchwick before I get there."

"I don't plan on it."

"You ready, Ruby?" Ren Glain asks.

"Yeah, let's go." The two press the feathers to their chest and feel the energy given to them. Now feeling faster, the two start in sprinter positions and take off in a blur of red and blue.

* * *

Auron, Weiss, and Blake make it to an open courtyard when the former guardian senses something. "Look out!" he commands as the AK-200's they just passed begin firing at them. They trio manage to avoid the attack in time as Auron pulls out a vial of red dust powder. He pours some across his blade and swings it down. The resulting attack sends a wave of fire towards the robots and destroys them.

The trio stand with their backs to each other as more Knights surround them with some ancient Spirian mechs. Before they can make a plan, they look to the sound of grunts and broken robots as Yang breaks through the mechs in her way. Auron and Yang share a quick glance before they turn their attention to the problem at hand. With a quick nod, the four charge in and begin to find a way out.

* * *

Tidus and Pyrrha fight past a YKT as they make their way to the air docks. There, they find the rest of Team JNPR fighting a small group of Raptors. Jaune blocks the bite of one with his shield and stabs another down. Lie Ren ducks under one and snaps the neck on another with a well placed kick. Nora just crushes them all with her hammer.

"They got it from here," Tidus reminds Pyrrha, "We need to get to Ozpin, then we can assist them."

"Right," she replies. The two continue fighting through the fiends, mechs, and Grimm as they make their way towards Beacon when Jaune notices the two running off.

"Where is Pyrrha going?" he asks his team.

"I don't know," replies Lie Ren. He looks over to Nora and the numerous enemies in the distance. "Go after her, she may need some backup."

"But what about you guys?"

"We'll be fine. GO!" Jaune looks to Pyrrha and then back to Ren.

"Alright, be safe." The blonde knight runs after Tidus and Pyrrha. He manages to catch up to them as they fight off a couple of Creeps. A Skoll charges the dream with his back turned and lunges forward. Before it can bite Tidus, Jaune runs it through with his sword.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha announces as she finishes off the last two Creeps.

"Good, you guys are alright."

"Was there any doubt?" asks Tidus.

"Yes!"

"We don't have time for this guys," reminds Pyrrha, "Come on, we need to make it to Ozpin."

"Why?"

"We don't have time to explain, come on."

"One more question."

"What?"

"What the hell is that?" Jaune points to the fiend standing behind him. It is at least six feet tall with a large face that is mostly mouth. Two broad brown shoulders connect its long blue arms to its body. There are three clawed fingers on its hands.

* * *

"That, is a Chocobo Eater," groans Tidus.

Auron, Weiss, Yang, and Blake continue running through the streets of Beacon when they notice a small pack of Grimm chasing after civilians. As they begin turning to help them, the sound of armor suits falling catches their attention. Turning around, they look up to the colossal fiends that look like black suits of armor while carrying large weapons. One carried a single edged sword while the other, a massive club.

"Auron," begins Weiss, "What the hell are those?"

"Gemini," he coldly replies, "They are a dangerous fiend that always arrives in pairs. One heals from fire and lightning, the other ice and water. Blake, go take care of the civilians, we can handle these ones."

"Alright, be safe," she says as they part ways. Auron's body begins to glow yellow as he readies his Armor Break, when a familiar voice distracts him.

"Incoming!" warns Airu as she lands in front of them, surprising Yang on how she didn't break her legs. "Mind if I help?" She draws her butterfly swords from her back and looks toward the Gemini.

"Not a problem," answers Weiss. "Let's do this!"

* * *

Ruby and Ren speed across the rooftops as they attempt to make it to the ramp when they are joined by a large dragon to their side. The dragon has a long, snake like body, with blue and orange scales. It has four arms, two closer to its tale, and two closer to its head. From its back it sprouts two large, purple wings.

"Uhh, Ren!" Ruby cries over the high winds caused by their speed.

"Yeah?!" He asks, not noticing the dragon at his side.

"What is that thing?!" Ren Glain looks over to where Ruby is pointing to.

"Mother Fucker!"

"That is a weird name!"

"No, that's not its name," corrects a new voice. The speedy duo look away from the dragon and towards the newcomer in the steel mask, MoonKoolaid. "That is Evrae, protector of Bevelle. A powerful fiend indeed."

"Who are you?" asks Ruby.

"MoonKoolaid. Just call me Moon. Now, are we going to keep talking or kill that fiend?"

"He's right," adds Ren as he creates two SMG's in his hands, "We are going to have a tough fight on our hands." Ruby reaches around and draws her Crescent Rose.

"Let's do this!"

* * *

 **Let the boss fights begin. So, a couple of things to note. Ren has some new gear, which he has sewn in Dust rather than using cartridges, and is using the wind in heavily increase his speed. Moon can keep up with them because he is hydrokenitic like Tidus, only he is much stronger in that he can actually control water in any state, including gas.**

 **Anyways, there is also some business to attend to right now, and that is a poll going on. You guys will tell me what I will work on next, though it probably won't be up until after a couple of months after this one ends. So with that said, let's get to the choices.**

 ** _Remnant of a Dream 2: When Dreams Become Nightmares_** **: Not much I can say without spoiling it, but it will be a direct sequel to this, taking place three months after in an AU of Volume 4 and on.**

 ** _A Hollow Game_ : A Bleach/RWBY/Gamer crossover. X, or Espada Especial, was no normal Arrancar. Raised by Aizen and trained in both the arts of a Shinigami and a Hollow, X was meant to be the secret weapon Aizen's plans needed. But things changed when X woke up not in his bed, but in Remnant with what looked to be a HUD in front of his face. Follow X, or Caliber as he is now called, as he tries to reclaim his power, memories, all while deciding if this women named Cinder should be considered friend, or foe.**

 _ **From DUSC to Dawn:**_ **A Kingdom Hearts/Bleach/RWBY crossover. All four met their demise as they served their masters, but now they have been given a second chance. Demyx, Ulquiorra Cifer, Siax, and Coyote Stark must attend Beacon in hopes of a new life, but more pieces are at play than they know. Will they succumb to the darkness once more and try once more to watch the world burn, or will they rise up against it as heroes and defend the light that had long since forgotten them.**

 ** _RagingKey Online (RKO):_ A SAO story. RagingKey, Lord of Hell, made a vow to protect Time and Space when he killed Lucifer and took his throne. Now, a new threat arises in a version of Japan. The game, Sword Art Online, was meant to trap the minds of players in a game of life or death, but something else was afoot. In order to fix the problem, he had to stop it at its source. Will the Lord of Hell make it out alive, or will the game make him mortal and lead to his demise? But the bigger question is, can he still love, after 800 years or near solitude? Takes place ten years before Remnant of a Dream, but is not a prequel. **

**So, go and vote on my page for the story you want to see. I would say the first chapter would be posted around June or July, maybe earlier if I get a lot done. Poll closes in May, so vote while you can. Until tomorrow, I hope you all had a Happy New Year and hope you enjoyed the story.**


	48. Chapter 46: The Hell Storm

**Sorry this is late, I meant to put this up yesterday, but then I went to take a nap at five, and set my alarm for 5:30 AM. Needless to say I wasn't too happy when I woke up at 12:30 in the morning.**

 **Anyways, we will begin the boss run that was hinted at last chapter, and we shall witness the destruction that is the Battle of Beacon. So, without further aidu, please sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 46: The Hell Storm**

The Chocobo Eater charges Tidus, Pyrrha, and Jaune, crashing into them and knocking them back towards a convenient cliff. The trio stands back up and stares down the fiend. "Tidus, how to we take care of it?" Jaune asks.

"This would be so much easier with Auron," Tidus grumbles, "We need to knock it on its back or find a way to knock it off the edge." The blonde dream raises his sword to block a punch from the fiend. Pyrrha and Jaune slash at its arm, but the attack does very little. The JNPR members are knocked to the side as the Chocobo Eater swings its arm.

The fiend charges the trio again and pushes them closer to the edge. Tidus grunts at his position when Jaune looks like he has an idea. "Tidus, try and knock it on its back with your water," he suggests. The dream nods at the knights suggestion and begins to draw the water from his pack now hidden underneath his leg.

Jaune blocks a punch from the fiend with his shield and stabs it in the gut, doing no damage. Before it could counter, Pyrrha's shield crashes into its face and forces it to stumble back out of surprise. Tidus coats the ground behind the Eater with water, allowing it to slip and fall onto its back. Now exposed on its back, the trio slash at its exposed body.

"Wait a minute," Tidus mumbles as he remembers one key detail. Before he can remind himself exactly what it is, a large ice shard appears in the Chocobo Eater's hand. Using the force of magic, the fiend launches it towards the blonde knight as he slashes at its belly. Realizing there isn't enough time to warn him, Tidus blasts Jaune with water to knock him out of the way. The ice shard grazes the knight's side, leaving a long but shallow cut.

"Ahh!" Jaune cries in pain as he stumbles back. The couple looks back, giving the fiend the time it needs to get up. Before Tidus and Pyrrha can react, they are sent back towards Jaune with wild haymakers. They all struggle to get up and Jaune clutches his side to try and stop the bleeding. He tries to heal it, but his Aura levels combined with the severity of the wound makes it really hard.

"Alright, now what?" ask Pyrrha as she tries to remain on solid ground while the Chocobo Eater inches closer to them.

"Knock it into the air," Tidus commands.

"What?"

"Knock it into the air. I don't care how, just do it." Tidus's body begins to glow white as his Overdrive readies itself.

"Okay." Pyrrha reels her arm back and throws her shield at the fiend, knocking it in its chin. Using her Semblance, she sends the fiend into the air with her shield. Tidus chants, "Take a nap!" and charges the airborne fiend. With a powerful leap, Tidus reaches the Chocobo Eater with ease as his sword begins to glow white with energy. "Blitz Ace!" The dream slashes and hacks away at the fiend with six powerful hits. With the seventh attack he sends the fiend back to the ground with a powerful thud. The pile of rubble, dust, and pyreflies confirmed it was dead.

Tidus makes his way over to Jaune and Pyrrha, the former holding his side. "We can have Ozpin take a look at that," Tidus suggests, "For now, we need to get going. Come on." Jaune nods and runs with the two as they make their way to Beacon.

* * *

Seymour stands atop the roofs as he watches the destruction unfold before his very eyes. To his left is Cinder, and to his right is Emerald and Mercury, the latter filming the terror. "This… this is beautiful," Seymour claims, "The sounds of suffering ending as their lives are taken from their bodies. I can feel the power within me, I can feel Sin getting closer to completion."

"I wonder how they would react if she showed up," Cinder ponders.

"They would bow down in terror and fear. No one would stand a chance. It will be all too easy for our destruction to take over. But we must first claim what is rightfully our first."

"That is correct." Cinder looks down as Tidus, Jaune, and Pyrrha run through the streets. "In fact, I think I will go claim my prize right about now." The clicking of heels as Cinder walks away rings through the air as they all smile, knowing the end is near.

* * *

Auron, Airu, Yang, and Weiss stand opposite the large, armored fiends in front of them, Gemini. "Alright, how do we beat these guys?" Yang asks as she punches her fists together.

"The Gemini are heavily armored," begins Auron, "Which means they are not going to go down after just a few swings. They also heal to certain elements, but I can't remember which one heals from what. Just know fire and lightning, water and ice. They also have a lot of strength, so don't get hit. And keep them separated, together is when they are strongest."

"Alright," nods Airu as she begins to think, "Weiss, you start testing some fireballs against one of the Gemini, if it takes damage, then keep it up, if not switch to ice. Auron, I will need an Armor Break, then a Mental Break on both of them. You and Yang can block some of the damage to boost your strength while Weiss and I can hit them with speed."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Weiss says. Before anyone else can respond, the Sword Gemini swings its massive blade down. Auron raises Masamune to block and the two struggle for control, the ground beneath the guardian cracking. The struggle for power ends as the Club Gemini sends him into the wall of a building with a golf swing. Hitting his back, he slides down the wall but rolls once he hits the ground, and his body begins to glow yellow.

Weiss fires off a chain of fire balls at the Sword Gemini, who shrugs them off like they were nothing. She grunts in frustration as she switches her Dust cartridges to ice. Airu flies right past her, much to the heiress's confusion. Weiss looks to where Airu went as she redirects the massive club into the ground with her butterfly swords. She looks back to the Sword Gemini as it brings its blade down upon her. The attack bounces off a last second glyph, giving her the opening to launch several ice shards from her sword and glyphs.

His blade now glowing yellow, Auron charges the stunned Sword Gemini and attacks with Armor Break. The fiend stumbles back now, its body glowing the same yellow as his blade. The Club Gemini, thinking the attack was finished, swings its club at the former guardian. Auron back flips and twists over the club, with acrobatics that surprised Weiss and Yang, and slashes at the second fiend, afflicting it with Armor Break as well.

Seeing her chance, Yang charges after the Club Gemini and brings her fist down upon the back of its knee with a bone shattering punch. This did little more than knock it off balance, kicking Yang into a nearby wall.

Weiss looks at the situation and decides to try something. Focusing, she summons a large glyph in front of her and the ice begins to take shape. First the legs, then the armored body, then finally the sword. The broadsword it carried rests at its side as the Onion Knight construct appears. Feeling drained, she steps back as her construct swings its blade down upon the Sword Gemini. The two struggle for power as their swords clash, but it shatteres mid lock up, sending the blade down to the ground where Weiss had been. The club swings around in attempts to knock the small heiress away, but the black blade of Masamune stands in its way as Auron pushes against the attack.

"Step back," commands Airu. Yang and Weiss follow her orders, and she follows suit, leaving Auron alone as he forces the giant armor to stagger back next to its twin.

"Why are we leaving him to fight them himself?" Yang asks weakly.

"Overdrive." The girl look on as the wind begins to gather around Auron and a white glow begins to surround him. In front of the guardian, the Gemini bring their weapon's back and use their Double Reaper attack. The massive cross slash misses Auron as he flips over the attack, landing with both hands on his blade.

"You! Away!" He chants as he swings Masamune creating a large tornado that lifts both fiends into the air. Auron reaches into his haori and pulls out a green Dust crystal. "Tornado!" He throws the Dust into the tornado, causing the wind to increase in speed and power, allowing it to cut into the armored fiends.

Once the wind subsides, the Gemini fall to the ground and shatter before being reduced to pyreflies. Auron drops to one knee and uses his sword to keep himself up. "There… it's over," he pants.

"Come on, let's see if we can't regroup with the others," suggests Weiss.

"You guys go on ahead," ushers Airu, "I am going to check on Ruby and Ren they are heading towards the airship that Torchwick is on. I'll be back once I finish up there."

"Promise you'll be safe?"

"Promise." Airu and Weiss give each other a quick hug before the harpy takes off into the air.

"Let's get moving," orders Auron as he begins walking towards the large group of students. Yang and Weiss nod and follow after him.

* * *

Blake runs down the side streets in pursuit of the Grimm she is following. She turns a corner as a shot crashes into the Grimm, sending it into the wall. Before she can question it, a blood curling scream rips through the air of the building next to her. The windows were already shattered and some of the walls are broken.

Looking through the window, she spots the one thing she hoped not to see. "Adam…" she gravely whispers.

* * *

Ren Glain unloads an hailstorm of bullets towards Evrae in hopes to discourage the fiend from getting in close. He throws the empty gun from his right hand and forms a grenade around a red Dust crystal. The empty SMG pokes the dragon fiend in the eye as the gunslinger launches the bomb, causing an explosion in its face when Ruby shoots it with Crescent Rose.

Evrae roars in frustration and turns its head towards the running trio. "Jump!" commands Moon, and the others do as he says. A small, multi colored beam, shoots from the fiend's eye and hits a random Nevermore that was on the other side of them. The large Grimm instantly turns to stone and crashes to the ground far below.

"What was that!" Ruby asks as they continue to run for their lives.

"Stone Gaze," replies Moon, "Does exactly what you think. Now we need to keep moving, we need to get in the air from that ramp in about three minutes." The masked man turns back to the fiend and pulls out three kunai from his pouch, each of their centers hollowed out and replaced with water. A simple flick of the wrist and the small blades piece the dragon's skin and slowly begins to freeze its body.

"We need to find some way to do some major damage to that thing," states Ren, "These small attacks aren't doing shit."

"Ruby can't get close either, and it takes too long to line up a shot with a sniper rifle, while running at these speeds. We need to drag it down to our level, and do it fast." Ren nods and looks over the dragon's body. An idea comes to mind as he notices the one thing keeping it up.

"Moon, take out its wing on the other side." MoonKoolaid turns to the fiend and examines the wings. If one would see his face, they would see a small smirk on it.

"Got it." Ice forms around his feet as he starts running over to the other side of Evrae with his machete in hand.

"Ruby, get up ahead and be ready for a pass. We are taking its head during the jump."

"Alright," nods Ruby as she begins to speed up. Ren looks back and dodges a tail swipe from the dragon fiend. At the peak of his jump, he draws his pistols, firing ice based ammo at Evrae and wind infused Dust ammo behind him to maintain speed.

Evrae roars in pain from the bullets entering its tail. The ice spreads to cover its tail from the kunais earlier, making it much slower. The fiend rears its head back as jade green energy gathers in its mouth. Ren looks in horror as it turns its head towards the red blur in front of him.

"Goddamit!" Ren curses. "Looks like I will have to turn it up a notch. Airu, make sure she is safe." The gunslinger leaps into the air, using his pistols to boost his jump. With a boost to his power from his Aura, he stomps on the fiend's back, causing it to lift its head as it spews the poison into the air. Moon lands next to him and takes the wing off with his machete.

The loss of the wing causes the shift in weight that sends Evrae towards the red reaper. Ren begins sprinting towards the fiend's head while Moon sheathes his blade on his back before hopping off into the night below. Ruby catches the fiend with her Crescent Rose and pushes her Semblance to its fullest. They both look ahead to the ramp they are after with just seconds to spare. As Ruby drags the fiend to the final jump, Ren leaps into the air and crashes his feet into Evrae's head. Ruby takes to the air as the gunslinger pushes the fiend into the blade, separating the head and body as the latter becomes encased in ice.

Ruby soars through the air towards the airship as she watches Ren slowly fall towards the ground as the fiend's head reduces to pyreflies. The two lock eyes and he flashes her a smile with a thumbs up. Before she can call out, he disappears behind the cover of the clouds. With a final burst of speed, she lands on the airship, ready for any battle.

* * *

Seymour, Emerald, and Mercury watch the dragon fiend fall to the ground near them, the body shattering into an icy mist. "It would seem that managed to kill your dragon," comments Mercury, "Oh how the mighty shall fall."

"Do you think you can do better?" Seymour questions, his blue eyebrow raising.

"Yeah, I think I could. I can take that little gunslinger no problem."

"Prove it. You and Emerald bring me his head, and you may have more use to me."

"Why the hell do I have to get involved?" snaps Emerald.

"Because I know how your friend here is. He is cocky. Your illusions should provide enough of a challenge to make sure he gets the job done. Now go, I have my own matters to attend to."

"Fine." Emerald and Mercury leave, the former grumbling quite loudly. Once he is sure they have left, Seymour raises his staff.

"I hope Adam and Roman remembered their orbs. It won't matter, but I suppose it will be easier if they did. I believe it is time we allowed these people the escape from their suffering. Am I correct, Mother?"

* * *

 **Yep. She is coming, and I don't mean Salem. For true Final Fantasy X fans, you know what is in store next. The battle has only just begun, and the grim reaper is still awaiting more lives. The blood will truly begin to pour in the next chapter, which I will try to make sure gets put out on Friday, as long as nothing goes wrong.**

 **Remember, I still have the ongoing poll about what you guys want to see after this story is finished. Will it be the sequel, the Bleach/KH/RWBY, the Hollow Gamer, or the SAO story of RagingKey? Only you can decide. So go vote now, and I will sit here and wait. Until next time, have a good day.**


	49. Chapter 47: The Eye of the Storm

**I am back my readers, and I am actually uploading this on time today, so that is a plus for everyone. The battle is still very much under way, and like any war, there will be casualties. But, as the title suggests, this could be considered the eye of the storm, where everything is calm for the few moments you have, before shit hits the fan again.**

 **Special thanks to kyle152091 for the favorite. Now, with that out of the way, all that is left is for you all to sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 47: The Eye of the Storm**

Ruby runs along the deck of the airship, looking for a way in, when she hears the familiar flapping of wings. Turning around, she finds Airu landing softly behind her. "Airu!" she calls.

"Hey Ruby," replies Airu. Looking behind the red reaper, she notices something is missing. "Where is Ren?"

"He fell with the Evrae, he should be fine."

"Okay, let's get going." _Snap!_ Ruby and Airu slowly turn their heads to the side as they look towards the sound of a camera. Standing about twenty feet away with her scroll in her hands, is the multi-colored girl, Neo. A sly smile appears on her face as she quickly types a message on her scroll. Airu takes her scroll from her pocket to read the message.

 _Miss me eagle bitch?_

"Not really, Strawberry Slutcake. You know, I should of asked Sun for a banana when I left, that way I can make you a Banana Split."

 _You really seem to like running your mouth, don't you?_

"Yeah, I do."

 _Then I guess I will just have to cut your tongue out._

"You know, for someone who can't speak, you can be quite cold. Maybe it is just because you look like a bowl of ice cream." Airu moves her hand over her rapier.

 _Come and get me, bitch._

"No problem with that." Airu draws her weapon, sending a wave of electricity towards the small girl. The illusion shatters into glass and Airu turns around, sending her fist into the approaching Neo's face. The illusionist staggers back from the punch and silently growls at Airu.

Footsteps catches the groups attention as they turn back towards the sound. The white suit and cane is a clear sign that Roman Torchwick is the man who stands before them. "Torch-Dick," Airu scoffs, "Or should I saw Torck-Dickless."

"I see the eagle has a silver tongue," retorts Roman, "How have you been girl? I mean, it's been like what, a month since you stabbed me in my fucking dick, again. I am sure you will be happy to know that they had to remove it."

"Good, now just let me give one last cut and you and Phone Sex can share some toys. I am pretty sure one of the competitors has something called the Shake Maces. She may let you borrow them if you let her join."

"Very funny. You know, you should quit hunting and do a stand-up comedy."

"I do that when your ass is six feet under and enjoying your last meal in Hell."

"Yeah!" chimes Ruby. Everyone looks to her with looks of confusion and regret.

Neo sends a message to Airu, _Is she serious right now._

"I think Red should leave the trash talking and death threats to us," suggests Roman.

"For once, I actually agree with this asshole," admits Airu, "But I am still going to kill you."

"Come at me then." Airu charges forward with Ruby in tow as Roman and Neo ready for battle.

* * *

Blake slowly backs away from the shattered window to Beacon's dining hall. In the center of the room is Adam Taurus. He is a tall bull Faunus with red hair that has portions turning to brown in the back. He wears a long black trench coat with a red interior and a red rose on the back. Black pants cover his legs while black boots cover his feet. On his hands are black gloves with the omega symbol in white. At his side are his weapons, Wilt and Blush. Wilt is a red chokuto blade that rests in its sheath, Blush, which is also a rifle.

Adam turns to the Blake while holding a student by their neck in his hand. "Running away again?" he asks in a sinister tone. "Is that what you have become, my love? A coward."

"Why are you doing this?" Blake questions.

"You and I were going to change the world, remember? We were destined to ignite the flames of revolution." He stabs the student he was holding through the chest. "Consider this a spark." Blake charges in and the two clash blades.

"I… am not running."

"Oh, but you will." He kicks her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. A nearby Creep runs towards them, only to be shot by Adam, "But not before you suffer, my love."

* * *

 _(Cue Hide and Seek - English Cover by Lizz Robinett)_

Ren Glain crashes into the ground as the last of the pyreflies fly off into the air. The surrounding area is a shady part of the city of Vale. Most of the light are out and many of the buildings are boarded up. The gunslinger draws his dual pistols in case of an attack. The sound of a cryptic lullaby rings through the air. He hides in the nearest building, closing the door silently behind him, and the music grows louder, now accompanied by vocals.

 _Ding Dong! I know you can hear me. Open up the door, I only want to play a little._ Knocking on the door adds to the cryptic music and Ren turns to look out the window. _Ding Dong! You can't keep me waiting. It's already too late for you to try and run away._ Moving the lone curtain slightly, he locks eyes with a pale white girl and a black dress. _I see you through the window, our eyes are locked together. I can sense your horror, though I'd like to see it closer._

Ren takes off running towards the staircase to get away from the music, only for it to grow louder still. The door crashes open with the girl standing in the doorway. _Ding Dong! Here I come to find you. Hurry up and run, let's play a little game and have fun._ The gunslinger turns left down a dark hallway, heading for the door at the end. _Ding Dong! Where is it you've gone to? Do you think you've won, our game of hide and seek has just begun. I can hear your footsteps, thumping loudly through the hallway. I can hear your sharp breaths, you're not very good at hiding._

Ren reaches the door and enters the dark room. Looking around and using his eyepiece to analyse the room, he spots a closet and a bed. Choosing the former, he gets inside and closes the door. Darkness fills the space as he turns off his eyepiece. The door outside blasts open as the music continues to play, the pale girl stepping into the room.

 _Knock Knock! I am at your door now. I am coming in, no need for me to ask permission._ Ren does his best to remain silent as the pale girl's shadow covers the only light entering the closet. _Knock Knock! I am inside your room now. Where is it you've hid? Our game of hide and seek's about to end. I'm coming closer, looking underneath your bed but you're not there. I wonder, could you be inside the closet?_

Ren Glain tenses up as the shadow of the pale girl grows closer and closer. The music softly ends, but the suspense still remains. Another face slowly moves towards Ren's ear and whispers, "Boo!" Kicking the door down in fright, Ren sends fire infused bullets into the corners of the room and closet, providing light for him.

Standing in the center of the room, he looks around for the pale girl. Instead, he finds Mercury standing in the door with a sinister smile. "Look what we have here," he states, "Guess Mr. No Forfeits can still get spooked." Ren raises his hand and reactivates his eyepiece.

"I must admit, that illusion was quite impressive," complements Ren, "I am guessing that is what makes you so valuable, Emerald."

"You catch on quick," replies the mint haired girl as she steps from the burning closet, "Tell me, what gave it away?"

"You deciding to speak up. But now that we are here," Ren changes his pistols to their nightstick mode and readies a battle pose, "I might as well send you both to Hell."

"I would like to see you try, tough guy," taunts Mercury.

"This is going to be fun. Tell me, if I ripped off one of your fake legs, would it hurt?"

"Don't know, but I ain't about to let you find out." The two share a final smirk before they both charge forward.

* * *

Seymour watches over the city of Vale with his staff in his hand. "I believe it is time to show them true suffering, Mother," he says to no one. Raising his staff above his head, he gathers the energy in the air. A beam of light shoots into the sky and the clouds begin to swirl around it. "Share you pain with them, Anima!"

From the swirl of clouds a giant hooked chain falls and crashes through the roof of the building. Instead of breaking through, it opens a portal. The chain hooks around the Aeon, Anima, and drags it up. Wrapped in bandages, Anima has one eye usable. Her arms are chained together and bond to its shoulders. Around its body is a large cocoon that can be zipped up.

RagingKey drags himself to a rooftop when he notices the large Aeon sitting atop the city. He takes one look and curses, "Shit, shit, shit! This is not good! This is fucking bad!" and takes off sprinting, using his fire to boost his speed.

* * *

Auron hops back to avoid the claw of an Ursa as Yatsuhashi strikes it down. Velvet runs towards the guardian as he ducks and kicks down an Evil Eye. Fox parries an attack from a Xiphos which allows Auron to cut it in half. A Bandersnatch tries to take the opening, only to meet the side of Coco's hand bag.

"This is fun," claims Coco, "Haven't fought this hard in a long time. And you being here makes it so much better, Old Man."

"You and I can have different definitions of fun," argues Auron.

"Then I guess later I will have to show you a different definition of fun."

"Coco!" cries Velvet, "That is not what I want to hear when I am fighting for my life." A slight chuckle escapes Auron as he looks to the sky. His eyes lock onto the Aeon on the roof, Anima. Its eye begins to glow as a beam of energy shoots out, much to the horror of the once legendary guardian.

"Ahhh!" Auron looks back to Velvet's cry as she falls to the ground with a massive hole in her chest as her blood visible sprays into the air from the fatal wound. Another audible beam rips through Fox in a similar manner, dropping him to the ground as well as his fresh blood stains the ground in which he stood. Yatsu falls next as the beam rips through his sword as well as his chest. The fourth beam strikes Coco, but fails to tear a massive hole in her chest.

Auron catches her before she can fall and examines the damage done. While it did not tear a hole in her chest, her clothes are torn and blood covers her entire body. "Aur...on," she says though weak breaths.

"I'm here don't worry, I won't let you die," he promises as tears run down his face.

"Don't… waste...your...energy. I… know… I won't...make it. Just...promise...me...one...thing."

"What is it?"

"Kill...Seymour."

"I promise." Tears continue to pour from his eyes as he feels her breaths take longer and longer.

"Au...ron."

"Yes?"

"I… I love...you." As her last words escape her lips, her body becomes limp. She lies motionless in his arms as Auron continues to cry. He buries his head in her bloody chest and screams in anger. Lifting his head, he puts his hand over her face one last time.

"I love… you too." He closes her eyes in respect and retrieves his sword. Looking back towards Anima, he watches the Aeon become engulfed in flames. The pyreflies float towards the sky as Anima slowly disappears.

Auron turns towards the large wave of fiends, Grimm, and mechs as they converge around him like a homing beacon for negative emotions. His body becomes surrounded with a darker purple Aura rather than his usual red. Looking to either side, he sees the same, more and more fiends and Grimm. The Aura surrounding him grows stronger as he raises his left arm towards the enemies in front of him. "Firaga!" he chants as a large fireball forms in his hand and shoots out.

The spell rips through the enemies, leaving only death in its wake. He turns to the right and chants, "Blizzaga!" sending a massive ice crystal to replicate the fireball's damage. He then moves to the left and sends a large lightning bolt with the chant of, "Thundaga!" The mix of darkness and pyreflies fills the air where his spells hit, but more enemies continue to charge him.

Leading the charge is a King Behemoth as it rises to its hind legs. Auron stares the fiend down as his Aura flares up once again. He bends over and picks up the small box lying at Velvet's side and hooks it to his belt just above his canteen of sake he keeps at his side. "Copycat," he utters as he places his sword on his back. A wire frame copy of Coco's minigun forms in his hands as he aims it at the large fiend. Pulling back the trigger, he unloads the entire clip into the massive fiend's chest, causing it to roar out in pain.

The wire frame shifts into two copies of Fox's weapons on the guardian's hands as he blocks the swipe of a Dingo with one, stabbing it with the other blade. He reaches back for his sword as the frames shift again into the sword Yatsuhashi carried. Dual wielding the giant swords, he charges forward and slashes at the legs of King Behemoth.

The fiend howls in pain as it swipes it's tail to knock away Auron. As it connects with the guardian's body, it disappears only to slash at it from above with both a large and small sword. King Behemoth tries to stomp on Auron, only for him to disappear and leave cherry blossoms where he once stood. The fiend barely has time to look confused as Auron reappears spinning a large wire frame scythe in his hands.

The massive fist of the fiend crashes into Auron, sending him into a wall. A heated plume of fire explodes from his location as he returns the favor with an explosive punch from the gauntlets around his wrists, power boosted not only from Masamune, but from Auron himself. He lands as the wire frames shift into a rapier and a black glyph forms in front of him. From it, the two Gemini rise and perform their Double Reaper as Auron jumps off a glyph and stabs the King Behemoth in the chest. With a final howl, the fiend sends a massive meteor into the sky.

The guardian lands with his own blade in hand as looks to the meteor. He raises his arm and allows his Aura to flare up again. He closes his eyes and concentrates. Snapping his eyes open, he chants, "Ultima!" A massive explosion of green energy decimates the meteor, sending small chunks to wreak havoc upon the fiend, Grimm, and mechs surrounding him.

Auron drops down to one knee as his Aura begins to recced into his body. Weiss and Yang approach him from behind, running after hearing all the fighting. "Auron!" Yang calls out.

"I'm fine," he says as he tries to push the two away.

"Not from what I can see," retorts Weiss as she helps him to his feet, "What happened that caused all this? And where is Team CFVY?"

"They… they are gone." Auron looks to the ground and clenches his fist. "Seymour will pay for this, I swear on my life!"

"Has anyone seen Blake?" Yang asks, trying to change the subject.

"Not since we split up to deal with the Gemini," replies Weiss, "She went to deal with some Grimm and the White Fang."

"I am going to look for her."

"I am coming with you," states Auron, "I am not having someone else die today."

"Let's go then." Auron and Yang look to each other before running bacl towards Beacon in search for Blake. Weiss lets out a sigh and returns to the fighting with Lie Ren and Nora.

* * *

Seymour ducks underneath the Black Diamond blade of Rage and avoids the bullet aimed for his chest. He brings his staff up and parries another sword slash while casting Firaga. RagingKey tanks the attack with no injury and kicks the Guado in the chest, sending him across the roof top. Seymour lands on his feet and looks toward Rage, "You are quite persistent, aren't you?" he asks.

"You are bringing forces that do not belong in this world to battle," responds Rage, "You are altering this world's true path. You are lucky that I can't just kill you, or I would have done so."

"While I can't die, that doesn't mean you can't. Death!" A small reaper appears in front of Rage and stabs its three clawed hand forward. The hand touches Rage, but does nothing.

"Did you really think a spell that kill will work on the Lord of Hell? Do you know what they call the Lord of Hell in some places? The Lord of the Dead! Which means, by matter of ranking, that spell won't work on me."

"Then I suppose another Aeon should put you in your place."

"What Aeon? All you have is three elemental ones, Yojimbo, Valefor, and the bug armor sisters. I know you won't be using Anima anytime soon, and you know what I did to your Dragon King."

"Then it seems we are at a stalemate. Let's make a deal. I will leave, and summon no more fiends while you do the same. We let the rest of the events play out how they may. That is fair, I presume."

"For once, I am forced to agree." Rage disperses his weapons and stares into the maester's eyes. "Fine, let us watch the end of this horror."

* * *

 **Ohhhhhh~**

 **Who's a horrible bastard whose stories you read?~**

 _ **RagingKey is**_

 **Who just killed four people and doesn't feel guilty?~**

 _ **RagingKey is**_

 **Ahem, SpongeBob theme song aside, yes Team CFVY is dead. Why? Because I felt like it, and because I felt like torturing Auron. Congrats to supergifford for correctly guessing who Seymour was summoning, his Mother, Anima. Because nothing is scarier than a villain's mother, or RagingKey when he is pissed off. (Read in the middle of a fight and Yang tries to interfere. She had a bad time.)**

 **Now, tackling the Goliath in room, Auron. So, I may not have told the whole truth, or finalized a detail, about Auron's Semblance at the beginning of the story. While his break attacks are in fact part of his Semblance, that is not all. First of all, his true Semblance is not Breaker, it is called Sphere Grid. It grants him access to any ability he can learn through the Sphere Gird and becomes more versatile as he becomes stronger. But, due to the heavy Spira influence, it was limited to just his Breaks. More or less, this moment sent him over the edge to breaking some of those limits early. As you read, he was casting high level Black Magic, as well as the infamous Copycat. Of course, any spell or ability he can cast will drain his Aura like MP, making it a bit of a risk using. Healing spells will also only work on real wounds, not Aura, in order to not just give him an infinite source of Aura.**

 **Now, much like when Rikku used Copycat, Auron can mimic any experienced Semblance, albeit with some modifications, like leaving Sakura petals instead of Rose petals. Also, this was something I had to edit because I realized I was wrong, Velvet's Semblance just lets her copy movements, her camera constructs the wire frames. I don't know why I thought it was here Semblance at first, I just did.**

 **Whew, that was a lot, I think I added 500 words just from the AN, so I should stop talking. Just five more chapters guys, so until next time, keep the idea of Airu vs Roman in the back of your mind, because it will be epic.**


	50. Chapter 48: The Deadly Skies

**Don't worry, I am here. Just a little late with the upload because I was helping a friend look over something of his earlier, then I got into a good long distraction called Civilization VI, just couldn't stop killing everyone. But, games aside, we begin a series of fights for Team AART, and to each their own. You all are smart, figure out the fights that are going to happen. I go ahead and give you the one for today, Airu and Ruby(kinda) vs Roman and Neo. So, while I go make sure my house is safe for the angry fans who watched as I killed Team CVFY, you can all sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 48: The Deadly Skies**

Ruby swings her Crescent Rose at Neo in attempts to knock her off her feet, only for the ice cream themed girl to roll over it. Another attack forces her to flip out of the way as Ruby plants her scythe into the ground. She fires a shot into Neo's chest, only for her illusion to shatter. Roman stands where Neo once was with his cane pointed at Ruby and fires a shot. The shot hits Ruby in the chest, knocking her back and forces her to dig her weapon into the ship's hull to avoid falling off the side.

Roman and Neo walk up to Ruby so the former can taunt her, only to roll out of the way of a trail of lightning bolts. The criminals turn around to Airu with her rapier in hand. "You just won't quit, will you?" rants Roman, "Neo, take care of her!" The only response she gives is a nod before charging the harpy.

Neo hops into the air and kicks at Airu who moves her head to the right. In response, the harpy grabs her other leg and drags the mute back over her shoulder. She slams Neo into the ground, only for her to shatter on the ground. Airu looks around for the mute, only to drop to a knee from the impact of an umbrella smashing into the back of her knee.

Airu recovers quickly to avoid the incoming blade from removing her head. The two turn to each other and the harpy takes note of Neo's blade protruding from her umbrella. Electricity crackles along Airu's rapier as the two charge each other once more. Neo stabs forward with her bladed parasol and Airu parries the attack. Countering, Airu swings her sword at the ice cream girl and cuts along her chest, causing her to shatter like glass.

The harpy moves her head to the side to avoid the white boot aimed at her face and strikes the knee with her fist. Once again, Neo shatters upon impact and disappears from Airu's view. Airu swings her rapier around her body, letting out a cloud of lightning that covers the area surrounding her.

Airu looks around for Neo, only to spot three of her moving towards her. Rather than waiting for them to attack, she sends a crackle of electricity flow from her blade. The spark seeks out the nearest source of metal and shoots towards the Neo to her right. Following close behind, Airu rapidly thrusts her rapier at the ice cream girl.

A few attacks hit, others miss or meet the steel of Neo's umbrella. Neo ducks under the final thrust and kicks Airu in the knee. Once she drops, she kicks her elbow, knocking her rapier out of her hands. Neo points her blade at Airu's neck and a creepy smile grows on her face. To her surprise, Airu returns the favor with an evil laugh. The mute tilts her head to the side in confusion, to which the harpy takes note.

"Have you forgotten one thing about me?" Airu asks. Neo keeps her confused look as she inches the blade closer to her neck. "I control the wind, and right now there is a fuck ton all around us. Now maybe you will see why they once called me the Harpy of Death. Have a nice flight, bitch!" Airu reaches for the umbrella as Neo stabs towards her neck, only to be stopped by a strong barrier of wind. Pressing the button to open Neo's umbrella, Airu watches as she flies off with the assistance of the high winds.

Airu scoops up her rapier and points it toward the mute, triggering another lightning bolt. Like a lightning rod, the metal blade of her umbrella attracts the lightning to strike it and causing the parasol to burst into flames. Neo begins to fall faster and faster with the lack of something to slow her descent. She falls behind the cover of clouds and Grimm for anyone on the ship to see.

Airu turns back to Ruby, to find Roman with his cane pointed at her head. "Hey Torch-less!" she calls out. The criminal turns his head to her.

"What no-" he starts as he realizes that Neo is not there, "What the Hell did you do to Neo."

"Oh, her. Yeah you see, she tried to pull a Mary Poppins to get away, so I struck her umbrella with lightning. She should be hitting the ground any minute now. It will give the Grimm an ice cream sundae."

"You are going to pay!" He turns his cane on Airu. "Bye bye, eagle bi-" Before he can fire, he is tackled to the ground by Ruby, with her scythe in hand. Roman pushes her off, causing her to slip off the ship and bounce off some Grimm, using her scythe as a pogo stick.

"Looks like it is just you and me, Roman." Roman dusts off his suit and pulls out a black orb from his pocket.

"That is where you are wrong. You see my dear, Mr. Guado was kind enough to provide me with this orb. Think of it like the summon that he showed a few months ago. Now come to my side! Dark Valefor!" Roman raises the orb above his head and slams it into the ground, causing it to shatter. Dark energy begins to swirl around the broken shards and expand past the ship. With a powerful burst of wind, the energy dissipates and in its place is the dark Aeon, Valefor.

She has a darkened color skin with two taloned legs and two large wings. She also has a large tail that connects to her back. Two smaller appendages sprout from where the wings and back connect, the right one holding a large set of two rings. Her head is feathered with a large, pointed beak and two eyes. She lands on the ship and Roman pets her under the chin, before climbing on top of her.

"How do you like me now, eagle bitch? Now you aren't the only one with control of the skies."

"Just stay still and I will make this quick." Airu sheathes her rapier and draws her butterfly swords from her wings. Dark Valefor begins to flap her wings and take off, and Airu does the same.

"I can say the same to you. Show them your power Valefor!" The dark Aeon gathers energy in her mouth and bright lights flash everywhere. Once the energy finishes charging, Valefor focuses it into a small ray with extreme cutting abilities. Airu manages to fly over the beam, avoiding certain death and allowing it to cut through and destroy the ship they were just on.

"Well, guess I don't want to be hit by that." Airu turns back to the dark Aeon and readies a battle position. A small fireball flies toward her, catching her attention and causing her to send a wave of ice to counter it. Smoke rises from the minor explosion and blocks Airu's view of Dark Valefor. She begins to blow away the wind using her Semblance, but the blast for Valefor's Sonic Wings catches her in the gut and sends her flying backwards.

Airu regains her balance in the air, only to have the dark Aeon crash into her and Roman fire a shot at her. The attacks send her spiraling down towards the ground before she recovers to block the razor sharp talons of Dark Valefor. Pushing away the Aeon and regaining her bearings, the harpy sends an 'X' wave of fire towards her fellow flier. Dark Valefor brings her wings back again and snaps them forward to create a powerful gust of wind that sends the fire back at its user.

The harpy manages to avoid the majority of the wind, but the fire connects with her right leg, leaving a nasty burn. Airu grunts as her Aura begins to heal her leg. She looks around for any sort of weakness that the Aeon might have, only for it to begin gathering energy again. Fearing for her life, Airu begins flying around quickly to distract or confuse the Aeon. A shot for Roman connects with her left wing, stunning her momentarily. That is all Dark Valefor as a large glyph forms in front of her mouth.

Airu watches in horror as numerous small beams form from the glyph, firing at her at different speeds and angles. She rolls to avoid the first one, only to be hit in the chest with the second. The attack stuns her, allowing the rest of the beams to hit her, causing an explosion of bright lights.

A cloud of smoke covers the air where the beams hit Airu. _Airu, have you lost again?_ A voice in her head began to speaking to her. I _expected better of you. At least, back on the isle, no one was trying to kill you. Have you lost your edge, it certainly seems so? Is this really how you want to die?_ Silence fills the air in response to the voice that no one hears.

 _I see, so that is how you want to play? It seems I can't interfere directly and help you win this fight. So instead, I shall let you rise once more, with a little bit of my power. Just don't waste it, Airu._ The smoke slowly clears as a massive flame begins to burn. Airu sits in the center, her body covered in wounds. Her left arm missing, half her face burnt off, a hole straight through her left breast and lung. Her lifeless body sits in the flames, slowly disintegrating.

The ashes of her body swirl in the flames as the winds begin to pick up. The fire grows brighter as the ashes begin to reassemble her body the way it was before the attack. Once the she returns to her normal form, her eyes snap open and she reaches for her butterfly swords. Her wings flap in the air as she regains her bearings. _Don't expect me to do this again._

"Oh come on!" cries Roman from the back of Dark Valefor, "How the fuck are you not dead?"

"I am unsure myself," admits Airu in a hushed tone. She looks to Roman with a newfound sense of wonder in her eyes. "Before we continue this fight, there is one question I would like to ask."

"Fine, I am a reasonable guy. You get one question before I kill you again."

"Why are… no that's not right. What are you afraid to lose that you are willing to fight a battle where the world is at stake?" Roman looks to the harpy with horror in his eyes, wondering how she came to the conclusion.

"How… how would you know anything about that?"

"Answer my question and I will answer yours." Roman lets out a depressing sigh.

"My sister, my other sister I guess you can say. Cinder is using her to keep me under her thumb. My sister is the only reason I ever became a criminal. All this was for her, she needed money for the treatments. She is terminally ill, has been since she was sixteen. Five years ago she was diagnosed with HIV after needing blood because of a Grimm attack a few months earlier. Two weeks later, it evolved into AIDS and she has been bedridden ever since.

"We didn't have much money and our parents were gone, so I was forced to pay for it. I became a thief, and a damn good one at that. At just eighteen I was committing heists that most professionals couldn't do, and I was able to get her the best treatment available. The doctors have been able to keep her alive for this long and make outstanding strides in the field of treatment due to my 'donations.'

"When Cinder wished for my help, she threatened to turn me in and cut off any connection to my sister. She even said she would go so far as to put an arrow between the eyes just to make sure I did the job. I couldn't let my sister die because I refused to work. I couldn't allow it. Cinder paid more than enough to keep her stable for years, but I also knew that she would cut any loose ends once I was no longer useful.

"Now you know my pain." A single tear rolls down Roman's cheek and falls on Valefor's back. "Just how did you know I had something to lose?"

"I saw the pain in your eyes," Airu replies, "You had the look of someone who didn't want to do this. You looked as if you knew what was going on was horrible, even by your standards, but you couldn't get out. You are afraid, and now I know why. I know what it is like to carry out such horrid deeds, even when deep down you want them to stop."

"You know, as much as I would love to walk away right now, I can't. Cinder will kill my sister if I let you leave here alive. I am sorry, but I have to kill you now. Goodbye, eagle bitch." Dark Valefor unleashes another Energy Blast upon the harpy, but she pushes the blasts away with the winds surrounding her. She bursts through the giant cloud of smoke and dodges a blast from Roman's cane. Airu reaches the dark Aeon and cuts through its skin with her butterfly swords, leaving a 'X' scar as it fades away into pyreflies.

Roman fall through the air as his ride disappears, knowing that his life is over. He awaits his death, only to hear the familiar voice of Airu once more. "One last question," she says to him. He nods, wanting her to end him now. "Where is she staying? And I guess this makes two, but what is her name?"

"Atlas Medical Center," he weakly replies, "Room 236. Her name is Julia… Julia Torchwick. Now just kill me."

"As you wish." Airu catches herself, allowing her to lose pace with Roman, and speeds up once again as she crosses her blades over her shoulders. "Goodbye, Torchwick!" With her last words, she slashes through Roman in a similar fashion to Dark Valefor. His body, cut from each shoulder to the opposite leg, separates to four pieces, leaving a trail of blood that coats Airu's wings.

She flaps her wings to remove the blood and looks down to the ground below as Roman's body descends towards it. "Rest in peace, Roman. I will make sure your sister is treated well." Airu turns back to Beacon and begins flying towards the city again.

* * *

Glynda blasts apart a few Creeps with a snap of her riding crop. Qrow swings his sword around and cuts a Lamashtu in two. Jecht leaps over his drunken friend and cuts a Paladin in half with his giant blade before kicking one of the halves into a Cautar lining up its shot.

Ironwood, now in a tattered uniform that reveals his robotic right half of his body, blocks a punch from a Bashura with said robot hand. He ducks under a double left hook as he pulls out his revolver and fires two rounds into the back of it's head. The fiend roars in pain before falling to the ground, releasing pyreflies. The general turns to Qrow, who raises his weapon to him. "Qrow! This isn't my doing!" he pleads. Ignoring him, Qrow runs towards and past him to cut a Zu in half. Just as he feels like breathing, he feels the cool air as Jecht's blade brushes past him to stab the incoming Beowolf.

"You must be an idiot," begins Jecht as he sticks his sword in the ground, "if you think we are blaming you for anything."

"What now then, general?" Qrow asks as he reverts his scythe back to a sword.

"We need to establish a safe zone. Glynda, call all the local hunters to the area. You two are coming with me so I can get my ship back, because someone has done the impossible and captured it." The ship in question lands right behind them, causing a loud crash as the two halves fall apart.

"I think it misses you," jokes Jecht.

"Fuck you," snaps Ironwood, "Just because you died once and came back, doesn't mean it will happen a second time."

"Hah, he got you buddy," laughs Qrow, earning him a punch from his 'buddy.'

* * *

 **And that does it everyone, the end of Roman Torchwick. But why does she want to keep Julia safe? What happened to Neo, is she dead, alive, or somewhere in between.**

 **Now, I want you all to be honest, who actually expected a Dark Aeon to appear. We had Seymour summon up a couple, only for Rage to roast them, but never a Dark Aeon. Personally, I think Airu could take one on if she could dodge and get in close, so she got the kill there against Dark Valefor.**

 **Anyways, I have another chapter to edit, a beta to talk to, and a fight to prepare. So, just to get your hopes up for the next fight, Ren Glain vs Mercury and Emerald. Warning, this fight gets pretty dark, so read at your own peril. So, until next time, have a good week.**


	51. Chapter 49: Coup De Grace

**Friday the 13th, the day of bad luck, and a new chapter. After last chapter's emotional plot twist, I feel there is only one way to cure that, more fighting. As I said last week, it will be Ren Glain vs Mercury and Emerald. Now, this one may seem to be written a bit differently than the others, it is because I (sortta) got a new editor. My friend offered to help me look it over and told me some ways to make it better, so that's what I did. Actually increased the word count up a little bit as well.**

 **Special thanks to Betoran for the follow. Now, all you need to do now is to sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 49: Coup De Grâce**

The dark room is torn to shreds. Tables broken, curtains torn, and glass shattered across the floor. Ren Glain moves his head to the side to avoid the shotgun blast and returns fire with his nightstick. Mercury rolls out of the way of the burning bullet and brings his arms up to block the kick aimed for his face. Ren readies another kick but jumps back to avoid the revolver as Emerald fires at him, the light produced illuminating the walls with a momentary burst of orange.

Mercury presses the attack with a flurry of kicks. Hurriedly, Ren knocks the first one away, though he fails to block the second, which strikes him in the chest with a resounding thud. The third kick beats him in the chest once more, knocking the wind from him and sending him backwards as he stumbled. With a final roundhouse kick to the face, Mercury kicks Ren out the nearby window into the street below, a shower of spittle and blood joining him in the air as he fell.

He hits the ground with a thud, narrowly avoiding the broken bottles lying in the streets of Vale. Very little light reaches the dark alley, and what does come from the flickering lamp post on the other side of the street. A rat scurries by in fear as the gunslinger begins to stir.

Ren forces himself to his feet as the two criminals land in front of him. He feels a small trickle of blood run down his chin that he wipes off his face, bringing his weapons into a fighting position. Mercury smirks and starts his attack with his left leg. Ren turns to the side, only for the telegraphed kick to strike him in the gut, rather than his head, a second later. He stumbles back and avoids the axe kick that cracks the pavement, countering with a spin kick of his own. As his boot reaches Mercury's face, he feels nothing where there should have been something and earns a shot in the chest from Mercury's greaves.

Looking through the orange tinted computer screen that rests over his left eye, he quickly watches the last few seconds of the recording as he falls to the ground. On his screen, all of his movements went directly towards where Mercury wanted him to, rather than where he thought he was. Standing back up, he notices Emerald's mint green Aura surround her body. Comparing her position with his computer, he fires at her instead, forcing her to dodge to the side.

Ren sprints towards her, dodging a kick his computer predicted, and knees her in the face. He grabs her head as she falls and plants a small tracking device the size of a tick inside her hair. On instincts alone, he moves his head to the right as Mercury's boot appears next to him with enough force to displace some of the gunslinger's hair. Ren grabs the extended foot and pulls him over his shoulder, planting another device on his hip. Mercury lands with a thud but quickly fires another shot to knock Ren off of his leg.

Falling on his back, Ren quickly rolls to the side to avoid the green kusarigama. Emerald quickly retracts the blade using the chain connected to it, and resumes firing at Ren. Switching his weapons to their pistol form, he returns fire with live ammo. The gunfight continues with the constant sound of Dust propelled bullets whizzing through the air, forcing Emerald to take cover behind a building.

Ren raises his hand to his head and pushes a small button on his eye piece, extending the computer screen to both his eyes. He scans the area to locate the trackers he placed on his two attackers as they are given a brief moment to recover. Once it locates the trackers, it traces their bodies with a light blue outline and begins to track their physical forms through computer screen. He smirks as he looks through the now computer visor, knowing he took out their trump card.

Emerald begins to activate her Semblance, making Mercury still look down to the naked eye of Ren. The grey haired man however, hops back to his feet and runs towards Ren, who watches through his computer. Mercury sends a leaping spin kick into the face of the gunslinger, only to hit his nightstick instead. The sudden feeling of metal on metal, rather than flesh and bone, causes a look of shock to run across Mercury while a predatory smirk appears on the face of Ren. Using his right pistol, he jams it into Mercury's gut and fires, knocking him into a nearby wall.

"Give it up, Emerald," orders Ren as he looks towards her, "Your petty illusions won't work on me anymore." She responds with the crack of her gun, sending a bullet from her revolver at him. The shot misses by mere inches, with Ren only moving his head to avoid the grazing of his cheek. "And you are a crappy shot." With grace Ren holsters his pistols and assumes a fighting position. "I don't think I will be needing those anymore. I have been meaning to test my new clothes anyways." He cracks his knuckles and sends blue electricity through the Dust sew into his arms, then clicks his heels together as fire erupts from his boots. "Consider this an open beta."

"Fancy clothes won't get you anywhere," claims Mercury as he pushes himself from the wall, "Don't get too confident, you and the blonde bimbo only got the better of me because I was holding back. Now I won't care if I kill you, so let's dance." Mercury rushes Ren, kicking forward with his right leg. Ren mirrors his movement, his kick powered by the heated red Dust now active in his boots.

Mercury hops backwards to avoid the flaming enzuigiri meant as a counter and follows up with a series of kicks in the air, making him look as if he is running in the air. Ren covers his face to block the kick with his right arm and strikes Mercury in the gut with his left. The grey haired man falls back to the ground and rolls out of the way to avoid an axe kick with enough power to crack the cobblestone alley.

Mercury fires two shots from his greaves, both of which strike Ren in the chest. He falls back to the wall as Mercury kicks forward towards his head. Ren grabs the metal leg and twists, turning Mercury around and planting a kick in his ribs. Mercury fires a shot from his captured leg to escape, only to catch a bicycle kick with his face. The flames combined with the crushing impact of his head slamming to the ground stuns him, forcing a struggle to get back to his feet.

Ren runs towards the downed Mercury, who has his face looking towards the ground, and attempts to punt the man. He abandons the plan to avoid the incoming bullet racing towards his chest. Emerald changes her weapon into their sickle form and blocks the incoming punch from Ren. The electricity from his Dust infused gloves crackles and sends a mild shock through her weapons into her.

She staggers back from the shock, allowing Ren two more strikes to her midsection. His third punch connects with her gut, forcing her to double over with a painful gasp for air. Ren quickly wraps his arm around the back of her neck and with a powerful snap, drops her to the ground face first into the concrete. Emerald's Aura takes the brunt of the attack and prevents her skull from caving in from the ground shattering DDT.

Ren rolls off to the side and turns back to Mercury, who is standing back up now with a groan. The silver-haired kid rolls his shoulders and stares daggers at the gunslinger. He chargers the gunslinger, leading with his right leg into a flurry of kicks and shots. Ren avoids the first, blocks the second, and catches the third, ignoring the shot that bounces off his Aura.

Using the captured leg, he twists Mercury around again and strikes the back of his left knee. The metal knee drops lower to the ground, to which Mercury uses as a push off point to counter with an enzuigiri of his own. Ren falls to the ground and quickly rolls to avoid Mercury's curb stomp.

He stands back up as a chain wraps around his arms and ties them behind his back. He struggles to break the bindings as they painfully tightens around his wrists. Mercury takes advantage of the gunslinger's bind with a powerful boot to Ren's gut, forcing the wind out his lungs as he looks down to the ground in pain. With a small hop into the air, Mercury lands a perfect scissor kick on Ren's neck and face, breaking his nose with a satisfying crack and squirt of blood.

Mercury stands over Ren with the same cocky smirk he always has. "I knew taking your life was going to be too easy," admits Mercury. Crimson red blood drips onto the pavements with from Ren's face as he stares to the ground. His arms are tied behind his back, leaving Ren with no way to get back to his feet easily. "Any last words before I paint the town with your brain?"

"Don't taunt an opponent who can still kick your ass," replies Ren. With a simple snap, he sends electricity through the chain to Emerald, who drops back in searing pain and drops her weapon. Mercury tries to paint the alley with blood by planting Ren's face into the street, but the gunslinger rolls backward with Emerald's weapon in his hands. Mercury grunts in frustration and annoyance before kicking towards Ren's face again. He dodges to the left and slashes at Mercury with Emerald's weapon, cutting into his metal legs an inch deep, exposing the inner workings.

The two seperate for a moment, allowing Ren the opportunity to quick draw his left pistol and fire three shots encased in Ice Dust into the small opening in Mercury's leg. Mercury ignores it and rushes forward, only to lose his balance at the added weight from the ice freezing the inside of his leg. He tears away his jean to see his ice beginning to form in the new cracks of his prosthetic legs.

Ren walks over to Mercury as he struggles to stand up. In defiance, Mercury tries to connect with Ren's jaw with a kick, only for him to catch it once again. Ren strikes the knee once more, and the leg shatters. Mercury falls to the ground at the loss of balance again, and turns to the cold dead eyes of Ren Glain as he twirls his pistol in his hand.

"You want to know something?" Ren asks rhetorically, "There is something, poetic, about how you strike someone down for the final time. It is called the Coup de Grace. One must have total control over their opponent, knowing that it could fail if an opponent is not properly defeated first. You know, when I left the Isle, I thought all my true abilities would be sealed as long as I was here. But it seems they are starting to resurface now."

"What are you talking about now?" Mercury asks with a sense of worry.

"I am saying that I must finish preparing you for your end." Ren stops twirling his pistol and points it at Mercury's remaining leg. "Magma Shot!" he chants as he pours his own magic energy, not his Aura or Dust, into the pistol. With the simple pull of the trigger, the bullet encased in lava finds itself a new home in Mercury's fake knee cap. Slowly, the lava melts away the metal leg, leaving Mercury with the two stumps he always had.

"No!" cries Emerald as she charges in with her lone sickle blade. Ren flicks his right wrist and sends her own blade into her knee. She drops to the ground, her other weapon flying from her hand into Ren's. He holds her revolver in his right hand as he holsters his left and points her weapon at Mercury's forehead.

"Consider this, the Coup de Grace, Mercury!" He pulls back on the trigger and fires a single shot into his head. Blood and brain matter spray from the back of his skull as the bullet finds itself in the ground below. Mercury lets out a few last gasps of air as the blood runs down his face before he falls back to the ground, covering it with his crimson blood.

Ren turns his attention to Emerald as she covers her eyes, tears leaking through the cracks in her fingers. Blood runs down her leg as her weapon rests next to her. She looks up to find the green metal of her own revolver in her face, the sound of the safety being pulled back with a click filling her with fear. "Please…" she begs, "Please don't… don't kill me… please."

"Why should I spare your life?" he asks, "You are involved with killing hundreds of people. You sit here and beg for your life when you can't even bring yourself to fight. Why should you be cleansed of your sins and not punished?"

"I didn't want this. I had nowhere else to go. I didn't want these people to die, I just wanted the world to change, because Cinder wanted change. Please, let me go and I might be able to escape and find a new life. Please, I beg of you. Don't kill me."

Ren looks into her eyes, checking for any resolve or hint of lies. He lets out an exasperated sigh as he changes her weapon into its sickle form. Her expression light up, thinking she has been spared, only to have the weapon pointed in her face again. "I shall be the cleanser of your sins. Pray to any god, and they would've killed you here and now. You shall consider me your god, as I control your life. If you wish, I will spare you of your life and cleanse you of your sins. Do you accept?" Emerald nods eagerly, wishing only to survive. "Very well then."

Ren moves the blade closer to her face. "By the powers I possess, you shall see no evil!" Like a painter on a canvas, Ren slowly drags the sickle along her eyes like a brush, carving a large 'X' in each one. The blade rips through her eyes as a mixture of tears and blood flows down her face on either side.

"Why are you doing this to me? I thought you said I was going to be spared. Now, I...I can't see. Why...why are you doing this?" Ren ignores her cries as he shifts her weapon back into the revolver, while all she sees is black.

Placing the gun to her head, he aims at her left ear parallel to her skull. "You shall hear no evil!" He fires a shot that rips off her ear and ruptures her eardrum. Blood pours from the wound, coating her mint green hair as well. He moves the gun to the other side, and does the same.

"What is happening? What am I saying? Hello… please help me! Please! I don't want to die!" Her pleas fall upon deaf ears as Ren ignores her again, and she can't even hear herself cry. Blood begins to run down her neck as it covers most of her face itself. The mixture of red blood and clear tears shows the fear and pain in her mind.

Ren places the weapon on the ground as he looks to her bloodied face, and opens her mouth with his left hand. With his right, he reaches in a grabs her tongue. "And you shall speak no evil." With a powerful yank, Ren rips her tongue out of her mouth, allowing more blood to leak onto her face, her teeth now coated as well.

He lets go of her head, leaving her to cause a puddle of blood on the ground next to her dead friend and tosses her tongue behind him. Her muffled cries fall on deaf ears as Ren walks away from the alley they were fighting in. Rain begins to fall in the small area of the city of Vale, only adding to the sorrow she feels. She's alive, but she is as good as dead to the world.

* * *

Yang and Auron run through the dim halls of Beacon, defeating any Grimm and fiends that come along. Yang ducks under the double right hand of a Bashura as Auron cuts the fiend in half with the Celestial Weapon, Masamune. The two continue running when a sneaky Dingo manages to force Auron to the ground. "Just go!" he commands as he pushes the fiend off. Yang turns back, not even realizing she turned to Auron, and continues looking for Blake. Auron takes the fiend's head and slams it into the ground, crushing its skull and releases the green and blue pyreflies that made up the fiend. He hops back to his feet and follows after Yang, just a minute behind her.

Yang runs over to the broken window into the cafeteria as she fires a shot at a White Fang member trying to ambush her. "Blake!" she calls out as her attacker slumps down with a defeated groan. A familiar cry in pain rips through the air, causing her to look inside the room nearby. The bull Faunus Adam slowly withdraws his red blade from Blake's abdomen. Yang smashes her fists together as her hair bursts into flames. "Stay away from her!"

Adam slowly sheathes his blade as Yang sprints towards him. Auron appears in window as she leaps into the air with her right arm pulled back. He watches as the area around him turns red and time begins to slow. The white outline of a blade rips through the red backdrop as Yang begins her descent as a black silhouette. Gold Aura adds to the air as Yang's right arm is cut off at the elbow.

The blonde brawler lands with a thud next to Blake. Adam walks toward them with his blade draw as Blake crawls over to defend her friend. "Why must you hurt me, Blake?" he ask as he raises his sword with a sadistic grin. Blake looks through the small slits in his mask, hoping to find any sign of hesitation, but finds none.

As a brings his blade down, he hears the silent whisper of a chant from Auron, "Sentinel."

* * *

 **Did you really expect me to change that? Yang still loses her arm, because I am an evil bastard. And I am pretty sure you all know what is next, Auron vs Adam. I have waited for this fight for so long, and is one of my personal favorites. But, now on to this fight. At the end it did turn dark and I may have traumatized someone, sorry but I did warn you multiple times through the recent chapters that Volume 3 was going to get dark, and it did. Mercury is now dead, and Emerald is a mute Helen Keller. While it may seem out of character, this is actually establishing something for down the line a ways, so I can't say much else than this is not random for Ren Glain.**

 **As we wait for the next chapter, have a nice weekend and be safe.**


	52. Chapter 50: Sakura

**Hello, welcome back everyone. I hope between your visits to your therapists and the storm we had didn't cause too much trouble. Honestly, all I had to do was pick up an extra shift, so my weekend was all right. But enough about me, we have a fight to get on to. Auron vs Adam, probably my favorite fight of the whole series and also it is currently the longest chapter at 4,600 words before the AN (I am not including the Special chapter in this statistic).**

 **Special thanks to Darth Stigma for the favorite.**

 **Now, this was more of a PM, but I am going to talk over this comment a little bit. Basically the reader thought of the death of Mercury and the torture of Emerald were in someways metaphorical, and they kinda were. Though, they were more in that Mercury was willing to fight to the end and has actually killed. It was either another FanFic, or something I picked up on, but Emerald is not as evil as he is. In the case of mine, she hasn't actually killed anyone, just tricked others into doing so, making her less evil in a way. Ren had saw this, but due to reasons I shall not share, he felt that he should spare her life, but cleanse her of her sins and no longer allow her to see, hear, or speak evil. That was how I was planning on taking that, and it leads to more plot points in _When Dreams Become Nightmares._**

 **The other thing that the reader mentioned is the hopes for this fight, and the wish for Yojimbo not to show up. Well, Seymour won't bring in Yojimbo and your comment inspired me to actually expand upon the fight even more, adding an entire extra page to it, so here it goes. Everyone, please sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 50: Sakura**

With speed unnatural for a man his size, Auron travels the entire distance of the dining room, without the assistance from Copycat, and blocks Adam's fatal blow. Masamune and Blush clash, sending sparks into the air as their wielders fight for control. Not wanting to waste too much time, Adam hops back to a safe position, ending the clash. His red eyes glow behind his Grimm mask as she sheathes his blood red blade with mastered silence.

"Who the hell are you?" Adam asks with a growl, "And why must you interfere with my plans? Did my love actually manage to find a shield to fall behind?" Adam scoffs under his mask and lowers his stance. "It won't matter, I will cut you down like the rest of you filthy humans."

"You are unworthy of that information," Auron replies with his usual stern look as he rests his disproportionate blade on his shoulder.

"Just as I thought, you humans are all the same. You look down upon us because of our heritage, so you shall know the suffering my people faced."

"That is where you are wrong." Adam slightly shifts his stance in wonder, giving Auron the silent signal to continue. "You are unworthy because you lack the honor of battle. You desecrate and mutilate bodies for your own personal pleasure or gain. You wish for equality, yet you have become nothing more than monsters, fiends. If you wish to hurt my friends," he looks back to see Blake carrying Yang away, "then you shall pay the price with your life."

Red Aura begins to gather around Auron as he rips off his haori entirely as it lands on a broken down table, leaving only the black muscle shirt underneath. His emblem of the sakura tree set in a light rosy pink in the small of his back, just like his haori. "You attacks shall do nothing!" he chants as he grips his sword with both hands and charges Adam. "Power Break!" Auron lets out a downward slash as he and Adam clash again, Wilt begins to glow with red energy that is not natural for the blade. Slowly, the power weakens and Auron pushes forward, landing a small cut along Adam's shoulder.

The bull Faunus steps back and lets his Aura heal the small wound as he sheathes his sword. The red energy crackles along his body as he feels his muscles lose some of their power. "So you were the one Seymour warned me about. The guardian, Auron Ronin. If I remember correctly, you should be dead."

Auron holds his blade out to the side in his right arm as a show of strength that the bull Faunus partially lost. "Then that makes you Adam Taurus, the leader of the White Fang. A man with such a noble goal, it's a shame you became a villain in this story. But this is your story no longer. This is my story, and your final chapter will be written here."

"Then allow me to introduce you to an old friend." Adam reaches into the pocket of his trench coat and pulls out a small orb. He raises his arm up and smashes the orb into the ground, causing the wind around the room to swirl with dark energy and pick up small pieces of debris. From the darkness, a large cherry tree grows, yet it is covered in the dark energy that came from the orb. Bells ring as a small dog sits down by the tree with the same layer of darkness, but with some added touches of gold, while sakura petals fall to the ground, albit with a lack of color.

From behind the tree, walks the Dark Aeon, Yojimbo. Standing at seven feet tall, he wears a black and gold set of samurai armor. Over his armor is a black haori to match the dark energy that surrounds him, while also containing large shoulder pads. At his side is a small wakizashi with a handle to match his clothes. The energy swirl disappears along with the tree like a fading mirage.

"So it would seem Seymour has access to the Aeons and Dark Aeons. I guess he saw it fitting to give you Dark Yojimbo. No matter, I will defeat you all the same." Auron charges forward and swings his blade upward with his right hand at Adam. The bull Faunus blocks the attack with his sheath and fires his blade at Auron like a rocket. The handle of Wilt crashes into the guardian's chest, causing him to stumble back allowing Adam to catch his blade by its hilt and ram the handle into Auron's gut, forcing the former guardian to softly groan in pain. Still holding his blade in a reverse grip, the bull Faunus makes a small cut along Auron's chest as he hops back to avoid any incoming counters.

Auron lets his Aura heal his minor wound as Adam returns his blade to his normal grip. The small dog runs to Auron and leaps at him with a mule kick, to which the guardian sidesteps and strikes the dog down, making it disappear. Dark Yojimbo reaches into his armor and retrieves three small knives and throws them at Auron. The guardian raises his blade and swats the knives away.

Adam fires shots from Blush at Auron, forcing him to avoid the bullets as they whiz by him with an audible cutting of the air. Yojimbo continues throwing knives in sets of three, forcing Auron to dodge or block them as well. As three move knives fly towards him, Auron manages to block two as the third slips through the hole in his blade and digs into his right shoulder. He grasps the arm with his left hand only to be hit with two more shots from Adam's rifle that impact his Aura, but don't penetrate fully. They still hurt the guardian, but the knife was a much bigger concern.

Auron rips the blade from his shoulder as he dodges another trio of knives and another bullet from Adam. He channels his darker Aura, still flaring from her earlier encounter with the King Behemoth, as more knifes a bullets begin to approach him, and swings his blade with assertive power. A small tornado forms from the swing, picking up the flying knives and bullets, keeping them away from Auron. The strong winds also pick up many of the loose knives as well, clearing the way for Auron to move.

With one last burst of wind, the tornado shoots out the knives and bullets towards Adam and Yojimbo, forcing them back to either defend or dodge the projectiles. Dark Yojimbo uses its speed and precision to catch each of its knives at sail towards the Dark Aeon and replenish its supplies. Adam blocks most of the knives by spinning Wilt and Blush, but a couple manage to sneak by and cut up his trench coat. The small counter allows Auron time to close up the wound with Aura, preventing any more blood from leaking down his arm.

"You have some skill with that blade, for a human," states Adam as he sheathes his own blade once more.

"A man in my line of work must be capable in battle," replies Auron, "If one like myself were to fail, those whom we promised to protect would die as well. It is a shame a man such as yourself would use such a noble blade in your sadistic ways."

"Are you that oblivious to the fact that you will die to a Faunus, that you will justify your defeat by claiming I am human. Would that embarrassment be too much that you have to deny such facts like race?"

"I see, you are confused. I refer to you as a man, because you are male. I refer to someone as a woman because she is a female. The ears you have, the eyes you have, the tails you have, no of that matters because it doesn't define you." Auron raises his blade to eye level, "This is what defines you. What you do with something like this, what you fight for, why you fight, that is what I judge. And I'll judge you with my own blade.

"Adam, you are a man with a noble goal, but your path has lead you to darkness. For that reason, my friends have been hurt, some even killed, and that is my I must end you. You are not the true evil here, but you have passed the point of no return. You have done too much damage to atone for your sins. I cannot allow a man as consumed by the darkness as yourself walk this world freely, that is why you will die tonight. Even if it means I will draw my last breath, you will fall to my blade."

"All I hear is lies coming from your mouth! You speak to me as if the features I have make no difference, yet you factor in what benefits they may give to me! You speak to me as if we are equals, then you call yourself a god with the powers to judge others and inflict your will! You are nothing more that a filthy liar!"

"Then prove me wrong."

"Gladly." Adam charges forward again as Yojimbo fires off more of the knives. Auron blocks the knives with his sword as Adam fires his Wilt from Blush once more. The blade's handle rams into Auron's chest again, causing a groan of pain to escape his lips, and bounces into Adam's hand. He spins the blade around his hand as the guardian avoids more knives.

"Copycat," Auron whispers as Adam swings his blade at the guardian's chest. Dark Yojimbo sends three more knives towards his chest as well with the intent of end the fight. As the attacks near his body, Auron disappears with a small breeze of wind and a shadow clone in his place. Bright pink sakura petals litter the place where he stood.

Yojimbo is the first to notice, with Adam turning close behind, where Auron is now. He stands now behind them, completely unscathed and ready to continue the fight. Sakura petals rest at his feet as he perches his blade on his shoulder. "Guess I still have a little bit of anger left in me. I'll try not to let it cloud my judgement." Auron raises his left arm to the two. "Demi!" A large sphere of gravity energy surrounds Adam and Yojimbo. The bull fanuns drops to a knee from the sheer pressure as it drains his Aura, while Yojimbo stands perfectly still.

The spell ends and the sphere of darkness subsides from existence, allowing Adam to stand back up. Auron pants lightly as he readies his battle stance again. "Probably best to stay away from any more black magic," Auron mutters to himself.

"What the hell was that?" Adam asks.

"Demi, reduces on enemies Aura by one fourth. Unfortunately, Dark Yojimbo wasn't affected."

"Anymore dirty tricks?"

"I don't know, guess you'll have to find out." Auron bursts forward with a trail of sakura petals following behind. He brings his blade down with an one-handed, overhead swing, as Adam blocks the attack with his blade a quarter drawn. Auron lets up the pressure and Adam slashes forward. The blade meant to cut the guardian's chest meets the small, bloody knife that Auron had ripped out of his shoulder.

Another three knives fly towards Auron and impact his side, only for his form to fade away. He appears behind Adam and swings Masamune horizontally as Adam rolls to the side.

Yojimbo reaches into its pocket for more knives, only to not find any and instead grips its wakizashi. Auron parries another strike from Wilt with the bloody knife and brings Masamune down with authority as Adam fires a shot into Auron's chest with Blush. The bullet hits the guardian but Auron ignores the light impact as it bounces off his Aura.

As Masamune nears Adam's neck, Dark Yojimbo draws his blade and sheathes it, sending a shockwave of force towards the two, blocking Auron's attack and sending the knives littering the ground into the air. Yojimbo sprints forward with unusual speed and catches each of the knives sent into the air to replenish his stock.

Adam hops away from Auron and next to Dark Yojimbo and sheathes his blade again, but keeps his hand on the handle. He looks to the dark Aeon and says, "Go," ordering it to attack. Yojimbo charges forward, sending a barrage of knives towards Auron as a feint. The guardian spins his blade round his hands and body as he blocks the incoming knives. Once the Dark Aeon closes in, he draws his blade and sends another blast of wind.

Auron dodges the wind and blocks the blade with his own. Yojimbo hops back and sheaths its sword as it throws more knives. Auron twists his body to avoid the first three and spins his blade to block the second. The third set crashes into his blade as another shockwave crashes into the guardian. With its wakizashi still high in the air, Dark Yojimbo loops its blade like the infinity symbol, sending more shockwaves on the crosses.

As the constant shockwaves pound upon his body, Auron coats himself with a dark Aura and swings his blade, forming another small tornado towards the dark Aeon with the strong winds. The shock waves crash into the tornado, but do nothing to it as it sends the discarded knives back to its owner. Yojimbo catches some of his blades, but due to the intense barrage and high speeds, others cut along its armor and haori.

As the tornado rages on, Auron's Aura begins to glow white with energy. He stands on his feet as the energy transfers to Masamune. Despite the constant winds, the words, "Pitiful!" from his chant are heard clearly throughout the room. As the wind disperses, Auron charges forward, both hands gripping his sword and a trail of sakura petals falling behind him. He breaks in front on Yojimbo and slides, holding his sword in a baseball stance, and chants, "Shooting Star!"

With tremendous force, Auron brings his blade to crash into Dark Yojimbo, only for the dark Aeon to block the giant Masamune with the small wakizashi he carries. The small blade shatters upon contact and the swing continues, leaving a deep gash in the Aeon's chest. If it could bleed, it would.

Yojimbo staggers back, holding its chest where a large gash appears and dark energy pours out in a misty fashion. Adam watches on from behind, but does nothing to interfere as he remains still with his right hand resting on Wilt's handle . Auron fiddles with the small knife in his hand, and contemplates what to do with it. He looks over and notices Adam holding Wilt's handle in his right hand in a trained Iaido position. Auron takes aim and, with a little help of copying Pyrrha's Semblance, throws the knife towards the exposed limb.

The surprise attack, combined with aided aim, gives Adam no time to react as the knife plunges into his elbow. His arm falls limp, but he can still move his fingers enough to grip something. Knowing he won't be using that arm anymore now, he switches his grip on Blush to his right hand and Wilt with his left.

Auron turns his attention back to Yojimbo, then back to Adam. There is only one attack that can take care of them both, and Auron knows it. Still feeling the Overdrive energy, he begins channeling it once again, this time his Aura remains dark, but this time pitch black. The energy transfers to his sword, as he utters the words, "Bleed like demons!" He grips the blade in both hands and waits.

Dark Yojimbo raises its right hand in front of its face, two fingers point to the sky like a prayer. Dark energy begins to swirl around him as his the wind begins to pick up. At his feet, a dark pool of energy opens up and a katana begins to rise from it. Once most of its dark sheathe rises above the pool, it shoots up into the air and Yojimbo positions his left hand just below his right. The katana fall to the ground and he catches the blade just below the hilt perfectly pointed to the ground.

Yojimbo slowly draws the katana from its sheath, looking at his reflection in the blade's clear metal. Auron points Masamune towards the ground behind him as Dark Yojimbo tosses the sheath aside and does the same. The two look to each other, Adam waiting behind with his hand on Wilt, as they form a scene that can only be mimicked by the stories of two samurai from the legends. "Zanmato!" Auron chants.

Auron and Yojimbo charge each other, dark energy trailing their blades. As the two near each other, they hop and spin, brandishing their blades as they slash at each other with the power to fell any foe the warriors should hope to defeat. The two land with their backs to each other when the area around them turns red. On instinct, the black silhouette of Auron raises his blade in a two handed defensive stance going from his left hip to his right shoulder. Adam draws his blade and utters the words, "Moonslice!" A bright white light rips through the red air and runs along Auron as it hits his blade as the world returns to normal.

Dark Yojimbo falls to the ground as he slowly fades to pyreflies, his katana blade lying in pieces of steel at his side. Auron drops to his knees as his left arm hits the ground, cut off at his shoulder, as the stump begins pumping out blood that runs down his side like a river. Masamune, the Celestial Weapon, rests in his remaining hand, cut in half vertically and leaving a jagged edge along the side of the blade. A long cut also runs from Auron's right cheek to his forehead, slicing right through his right eye and recreating a wound he had long since lost.

Adam sheathes his blade as the bloody figure of the guardian hits the ground with a wet splash, blood flowing from the lack of a left arm and the renewed cut along his face. "You fought well, Sir Auron," says Adam, "You have earned my respect as a warrior, but you still needed to die. This should be an example to all humans who oppose the White Fang." The bull Faunus turns on his heel and begins to walk from the cafeteria, when he hears the groan of a man, and man who should be dead.

"I… am not… done with… you yet," gasps Auron as he pushes himself to his feet, using the half of his blade that remains while ignoring the blood as it pours from the lack of a left arm. Blood runs down the right side of his face and down his neck, staining the collar of his muscle shirt.

"Why do you insist on fighting?" Adam turns back to Auron as the guardian finds his balance.

"I already told you, even if I drew my last breath, I was going to end your life here. And last time I checked, I am still breathing." Auron's body begins to glow white with the Overdrive energy as he swings his half blade to the side with his right hand. "Now die like the demon you are!"

"Ignorant fool. If you wish to die so badly, allow me to oblige." Adam grasps Wilt with his left arm, his right still damaged from the knife, as he charges his Aura. The two charge forward and clash blades once more, using their good arms to finish the fight. Adam drops Blush on the ground, knowing the empty sheath will do no good if he can't use his right arm at the moment.

Auron brings his much larger blade crashing down as Adam raises his own to parry the overhand strike, knowing that with only one arm and the Power Break would not allow him to block. What he wasn't accounting for, was the sheer power the blade hit him with, as Auron's own strength, Yang's damage conversion Semblance, and the unstable power of the broken Masamune that was leaking out, followed the blade. Adam manages to step to the side enough as the concussive power of the blade sends a shock wave that blasts through the cafeteria wall and sends the remaining tables, chairs, and rubble out the gaping hole.

Adam snaps out of his shock long enough to counter as Masamune embeds itself into the ground. As the White Fang leader attempts to strike the guardian down from his unarmed side, he nearly fails to catch him chant, "Thundaga!" The close range thunder attack strikes the two warriors in a chaining current that injures both of them.

Adam gasps as he escapes the shocking magic attack and the smell of burning flesh wafts through the air. "That was a mistake," he says as he tightens his grip on his blade while making his way back from the backpedal he didn't even know he took. Auron chuckles as he makes his way to his feet with Masamune in his hands. Electricity crackles around him as he feels his power grow exponentially greater after copying Nora's Semblance.

"I think not," he replies and with a copy of Ruby's speed, he sprints forward as pink cherry blossoms follow behind him. Adam barely manages to block the lethal part of Auron's attack, while the overwhelming power throws him around like a ragdoll, sending him through another wall into the wall of the next room.

He pushes himself to his feet, but curses to himself as a energy wave of pure fire and destructive lightning races towards him in the shape of a crescent moon. Unable to react, the pseudo Getsuga Tensho crashes into his chest like a train that was hauling another train now flying at him, and blasts him through the next five rooms and shattering what remained of his Aura.

Before he could land, Auron appears above him with his blade raised over his left shoulder and sakura petals behind him, and flings him down into the next building with a powerful smack of the flat side of Masamune.

Adam hits the ground and bounces like a grounder towards first base across the hardwood floors of the Beacon Ballroom. Blood splattered upon each impact with the ground while a trail follows his air time. As his roll finally stops, he groans in pain and suffering while facing the ground. He spits out the blood caught in his throat and pushes himself up to his feet.

Auron appears in another flash of sakura as the petals scatter around his form, before blowing away as the draft from the new hole picks them up with just enough wind to make it noticeable. As the White Fang leader forces himself to his feet, Auron examines his wounds.

His coat is nothing more that a tattered rag, his shirt not faring much better which exposes much of his chest. His pants are riddled with holes, each one showing nothing but red as the blood runs down his legs. Hundreds of cuts and scratches litter his chest and arms, nearly covering his entire torso with the crimson life liquid. The visor like mask he wore has been reduced to nothing more than a cracked eye patch, cover his one good eye as the other constantly fills with blood from the deep gash above it.

Adam grips Wilt with the last of his strength and turns to the former guardian with a sign of respect in his weakened stance. "You are a powerful foe indeed," he states not as flattery, but as a fact. "Maybe in another life, we could have been allies. Had we seen the world the same, we could have been unstoppable, weather it would be on my side or yours."

Auron channels the remaining Overdrive energy he has left into his blade, knowing exactly what is going through Adam's mind. "I have to agree. Our story would have been great, but now one of ours has to come to an end. Let's finish this together, not as human and faunus, but as warriors, bound by no laws other than that of the blade."

"I can't help but agree, Auron." Silence follows as they both ready their final attacks, the light breeze reverses direction and the sakura petals float softly back towards Auron. As they fall softly to the ground, both warriors send their final prayers to Yevon and to Oum, and look at each other with their one good eye. The petal lands, and the final moments of a story is written.

"Moonslice!"

"Zanmato!" The two charge after one another as red fills the air around them. A trail of black follows the remaining half of Masamune. Auron spins in the air as Adam simply draws his blade in a practiced motion. The black and white trails clash as the two warriors pass each other, stopping with their backs turned to the other. The area around them returns to normal and the two remain motionless.

Adam's mask, or what remains of it, falls from his face and shatters. Wilt shatters as well in his falling hands, leaving the blood red metal to litter the ballroom floor. Blood flows from his chest like a waterfall as a clean slice appears after a delay. Cut from the right side of his chest to his lower left hip, the upper half of his body slowly slides off the lower. Two wet thuds follow the body hitting the ground, landing in a pool of his own blood. A single, pink sakura petal floats down, lightly grazing the top of the pool, before resting in the blood, becoming a part of the crimson red decorations.

Auron falls to a knee, blood pouring from his apparent wounds. A shallow cut rips through his undershirt as more blood slowly stains it red. More sakura petals fall to the ground as he struggles to make it back to his feet. "It is done," he says to himself, "Now I must continue on. There are others who need my help." Auron makes it back to his feet and slowly begins walking out of the ballroom. "Thank you, everyone. Your Semblances were perfect to copy." His knees buckle and he collapses to the ground.

* * *

Tidus, Pyrrha, and Jaune exit the elevator into a large room looking more like a vault. Standing outside the elevator is Ozpin, holding his cane cautiously. "What is this place?" Jaune asks.

"It's… a type of vault," responds Pyrrha.

"You've been here before?" Pyrrha looks away.

"What exactly would we need to hide under a school?" wonders Tidus as he looks down the hall past Ozpin. Sitting a good distance away is two strange pods, one containing a brown haired girl wearing only a white band over her chest and a pair of white shorts. "Is she the Fall Maiden?"

* * *

 **Well damn. Adam is dead, Auron lost an arm and an eye, and shit got destroyed. It seems the bull was more of a butcher, hacking off arms like he was an arms dealer...**

...

...

 **Yeah, I know that was bad. And before you all get mad for lying, I didn't. I said Seymour wouldn't bring in Yojimbo, I never said Adam wouldn't bring in Dark Yojimbo. They are very different characters, just like Call of Duty doesn't just give you the same game year after year.**

 **Anyways, this was my favorite fight to write, and the part I added was between Auron getting back up and the final strike. Originally it was going to be the one-liner and the charge, but I felt I needed to show off how badass one-arm Auron would be if he is fucking pissed off and using uncontrollable power. He will revert back to a more stable level when he returns from his nap, but for now he went to Bleach just to Copycat Ichigo for no other reason than because I said so.**

 **And once again I went off the rails, so I will end it off with a couple more notes. Friday, 1/20/17 will be the final release of this story aside from edits. I will upload the last two chapters that day for you all as a sort of thank you to everyone who has been reading this since the beginning back in September. But now, it must end, but when one story ends another begins. As the final chapters approach, rest and relax for there will be more twists and turns that will surely shake up Remnant in the next couple chapters. Until next time, have a good week.**


	53. Chapter 51: A Dream's Nightmare

**Here it is everyone. The last day and the last two chapters. This chapter has a lot of build up, the final fight of the story; Tidus & Pyhrra vs Cinder. There will be a lot of set up for future plans with the sequel, a lot more tragedy, and someone is going to die. What can I say, I like to kill people.**

 **This chapter is even longer than the last at just over 5,000 words before the AN's. So, special thanks to UltimaKage for his favorite and follow. Now, sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 51: A Dream's Nightmare**

Tidus looks to Ozpin, waiting for an answer to his question. "Well, is she?" he asks again. Silence fills the large, barren vault room with the only sounds coming from the occasional beep of the machines at the end of the room.

Ozpin gives the dream a cold stare before responding, "Yes. I am assuming your father told you about them."

"That and also you were keeping one of them safe in the basement."

"Then you know what is a stake, and what has to be done?" Tidus nods. Ozpin looks over the dream's shoulder to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, get to the pod, now." Pyrrha hesitates, looking to Tidus and getting a slight nod, before running to the second pod. "Mister Arc, Mister Abe, if you wish to help, please stand guard here."

The two blondes nod and ready themselves for any sort of combat. Pyrrha looks to Ozpin as he types away to the hologram keypad. "What do we do?" she asks.

" _We_ do nothing," he replies, " _You_ have a choice to make, Miss Nikos." Pyrrha looks to Tidus, then back to the pod, before wiping away a tear and climbing into the pod. As she lies down the pod closes over her. "Are you ready?" Pyrrha slowly nods. "I need to hear you say it."

"Yes."

"Thank you, Miss Nikos." Ozpin taps a few more buttons on the screen and the Fall Maiden's pod raises up. An orange glow covers her body as her Aura begins being transferred into Pyrrha, both screaming out in pain. Tidus turns to her, only to drop down in pain himself. The blonde dream drops his sword and covers his head as his light blue Aura covers his body and his mind goes blank.

* * *

 _(Tidus POV)_

 _My head hurts. Wait, this isn't the vault?_ I slowly make my way to my feet and open my eyes as I examine my surroundings. Nothing is the same as what I remember. Instead of the vault room, I am standing on top of a strange cathedral staring off into the deep abyss. Pyrrha, Jaune, Ozpin, I can't see anyone. The only source of light is coming from the cathedral below while this strange choir sings an omonis tune from within the endless abyss.

The cathedral looks like a stain glass window, with an amazing image worked into it. A picture of me sleeping sits in the center, acting as a center point for the entire thing. To the left are portraits of my friends from Spira, the ones who helpped me find a way through a new world. On the top is an older version of Auron, looking as he did back in Spira, then Lulu below him, followed by Kimarhi, Wakka, and Rikku. The remaining half circle not taken up by my friends, is a portrait of Yuna, dressed as she was when I left her nine months ago. The right side is formatted similar to the other. Once again, Auron is at the top, but looking much younger and very similar to what he looks like now. Below him is Airu, then Ren Glain underneath. From the bottom up is Lie Ren, Nora, and Jaune. In the center of the right side, is Pyrrha, dressed usual her combat uniform.

 _What is this?_ I look around for answers, when a strange staircase begins to form in front of me. Having no better ideas, I follow it up to another cathedral that looks exactly the same to the first one, but much higher up. When I reach the top of the stairs, I look around once more. Standing opposite me is… something. It wears this draconic, yet regal, armor with two large horns coming from its helmet and a white cape draped over its back. In its right hand is this large, double-edge, S-shaped sword with a blade on either side. In its left is a large, white shield.

"Who are you?" I ask as I grip Caladbolg in case it wants to fight.

"I am Odin," he, from the sound of his voice, replies.

"Okay, what are you?" _He looks oldly familar. Almost like..._

"An Aeon." _Wait what? I thought Yuna sent all the Aeon's, why is he here? And why have I never… nevermind, stupid question._

"I thought only the maidens could summon Aeons in this world?" I ask as my stance shifts slightly to a less defensive one, but still ready to fight.

"That is true. However, you are different, you were born from the dreams of the Aeons in Spira. You are also not from this world, which means that the rules can be bent."

"Why are you here, now? I mean, you would have been great to have earlier. The battle against Sin would have gone a lot easier with you around."

"I was sealed long before you arrived in Remnant. I have always been here, I just have never been needed. Even against Sin, I was never needed. When the time comes, I shall lend you my powers. Until then, I will wait here. Please Tidus, be safe as you fight on, and keep Lady Yuna in your thoughts."

Yuna. I haven't thought about her in months. I have spent so much time here in Remnant, that I have slowly been forgetting her. Something must be going on there that the Aeons are asking for my help.

"Okay, I'll try. Thank you Odin."

"Now, you must go, things are going to get a little hairy in a moment." In the blink of an eye, he left me all alone in the dark void. The cathedral below be begins to fade, reducing the light to nothing. I black out again.

* * *

 _(3rd Person POV)_

Jaune bends over shaking Tidus in attempts to wake him up. The blonde dream coughs and tries to push himself off the ground. As he regains his footing, he looks over to Pyrrha as she cries out in pain, an orange Aura still surrounding her. "I'm… so sorry," says Ozpin, catching their attention.

Tidus opens his mouth to, only to be cut off by the whizzing sound of an arrow flying by. Said arrow pierces through the glass pod containing the Fall Maiden, striking her in her chest. A brief gasp escapes her lungs as her already weakened body loses what little life she had left. Tidus looks back to Pyrrha as the orange Aura surrounding her disappears, then to the entrance to the vault at the opposite end of the long vault.

The Fall Maiden's pod bursts open as her Aura seeps from her body into her attacker. Cinder graciously accepts the spoils of war as she stands between them and the elevator with her obsidian glass swords connected to form a bow. Her eyes begin to glow as the remaining power of the maiden merges with her own, a trail of fire burning from either side of her face. Jaune is the first to charge the now Fall Maiden, sword raised high.

"Stay back!" orders Ozpin, but Jaune doesn't listen. Cinder smirks as she throws a large fireball at the blonde knight. He raises his shield to block, but Tidus extinguishes the flames with a blast of water before it could connect with him. Tidus redirects the water towards Cinder, but she rolls to the side to dodge. Calling it back, he coats his blade with the water and charges as her once more with a downward.

Cinder separates her two swords and blocks his first attack. Tidus swings his sword with an upward slash, meeting her second sword this time. The rebound of the weapons leaves him open for an attack as she kicks him in the gut and sends another fireball into his chest. Tidus falls back and slides across the ground.

Pyrrha bangs on the inside of her pod, screaming his name, "Tidus!" She activates her Semblance and pushes the pod door away, almost into Cinder herself. As she tries to charge into battle, Ozpin holds out his arm to stop her.

"Take Jaune and Tidus and leave here," he commands, "Tell Glynda, Ironwood, Qrow, and maybe Jecht. The tower can't fall."

"But I can help," she protests.

"You'll only get in the way." Pyrrha nods submissively and helps Tidus to his feet as she leads him and Jaune out of the vault.

* * *

Airu lands near the evacuation camp as Port and Oobleck try to get people onto the air ships. Looking around, she spots Weiss standing guard over a few students. "Weiss!" she calls out, gaining the heiress's attention.

"Airu!" she exclaims as she runs to hug her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think I died at one point but I could be wrong. Nothing to worry about, really."

"Nothing to worry about!?" Weiss hops back in shock and a little bit of anger. "You just said you think you died, how could I not worry? And how are you uninjured then?"

"Well, it was a little blurry, but Roman used some Aeon thing and hit me with a bunch of light beams. I remember losing my arm and half my face before blacking out. Next thing I know, I am as good as new, so I could have imagined the injuries."

"At least you look better than me," comments Ren Glain as he limps over to the two. His clothes are torn and blood stains his clothes, some of it his, most not. Blood continues of pour from his disfigured nose.

"What happened to you?" Airu asks.

"Emerald and Mercury. The two double teamed me, and those illusions are fucking annoying. Mercury is dead though."

"So is Roman. I don't know about Neo, though. Kinda zapped her umbrella as she was floating in Grimm infested skies. What about Emerald?"

"Lying in a pool of her own blood, blind, deaf, and mute. She was still alive when I left her next to Mercury."

"Ren, what did you do?" Airu asks with a strong hint of worry in her voice while Weiss chokes on her own spit. Airu had known him for being a bit dramatic, but he usually kept his kills clean if he could help it.

"I cut out her eyes and shot off her ears with her own weapon. Then I ripped out her tongue." Weiss gags at the gruesome dismemberment of the tan girl she once called an acquaintance.

"Why the Hell would you do that?" the heiress cries out in shock.

"She was a threat, sorry for making sure that I incapacitated her." Airu readies another response but is quickly cut off when another voice beats her to the punch.

"Sorry for who?" asks Ruby as she seemingly appears next to the gunslinger. Airu jumps back, startled by her sudden appearance.

"Mother fucker!" Airu exclaims, "When the Hell did you get here?"

"Just now."

"Okay. Well, at least your here. Now all we need is Auron and Tidus. Where are they anyways?"

"I don't know," replies Weiss, "Auron went with Yang to find Blake, but they returned without him. They… didn't fare too well themselves." Everyone turns their attention to the two girls on the ground, who they have failed to notice until now.

"Yang," Ruby gasps, looking at her sister's missing arm, "What happened?"

"Adam…" replies Blake through labored breaths. A large stab wound in her abdomen is wrapped up by bloodied bandages. "...Auron sacrificed himself… for us."

"He's dead?"

"No, I have him right here," announces Rage as he walks to the group with Auron on his shoulder. He sets the guardian down next to Blake and Yang, letting the group look at the wounds he has. His left arm is severed at the shoulder, and bloodied bandage is wrapped over it. Blood continues to trickle from the cut through his right eye, but it has stopped for the most part.

"What happened to him?" Airu asks as she squats down to check on him.

"From what it looks like, he fought Adam. I don't know how the old bastard did it, but I found his ass in the ballroom. The buildings between the two places were gone, but he was there. There was also some knives fading away at the time, so I think a Dark Yojimbo was there. Either way, his left arm is completely gone, cut clean off. His right eye is also damaged, the scar to going to permanently shut it, leaving him with just a left eye. Nothing he isn't use to."

"He lost an eye before?" Weiss asks.

"Yeah, same one too. Back in Spira."

"Then where is Tidus?" Ren Glain asks.

"Or Jaune and Pyrrha?" adds Nora, who is lying not too far from the group.

"No clue," replies Rage, "But you guys should get to the ships and get to Vale, it is the safest place right now."

"No, I will find them," declares Ruby.

" _We_ will find them," corrects Weiss.

"I am coming with you guys," adds Airu, "Ren, take the rest and go, we'll be fine."

"Okay," agrees Ren, "Just make sure to avoid that fucking Dragon Grimm. I don't know how we missed it before, but it is swirling the damn school." Airu looks up to Ozpin's office, to find there is indeed a Dragon Grimm circling it.

"Alright, will do. Let's go guys." Airu takes off running back to Beacon with Ruby and Wiess on her tail.

"Be safe guys."

* * *

Tidus, Pyrrha, and Jaune stumble out of Beacon Tower as they escape the clash between Ozpin and Cinder. The sounds of explosions and fighting can be heard from outside. Jaune pulls out his scroll and begins looking through his contacts. "Okay, I think I have Glynda's number," he claims as he steps away, "Pyrrha?" She looks over to the blonde knight, wondering what he was about to ask. "What was all of that about?"

"I…" she begins before the sound of Cinder bursting through the elevator shaft and continuing upward distracts them.

"But… Ozpin," Jaune says.

"There's no time," she declares, "Get to Vale and call for help. Tidus, I need your help."

"Are we going to take her down?" he asks as his grip on his blade tightens.

"Yes."

"No, you guys can't!" Jaune protests, "You saw how powerful she is."

"That is why she is bringing me," replies Tidus.

"No, you can't just do this! You'll die."

"If that is what you think will stop us, then why are we here? We came here to fight monsters, and right now she is nothing more than one." Tidus places a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "I have taken down much worse than her, I'll be fine, and so will Pyrrha. But it's time for you to go." Tidus shoves Jaune into a nearby locker and closes the door. Tapping the keypad, he sends the locker into the air towards Vale, with Jaune screaming the entire way.

"I'll have to apologize to him when we get back," states Pyrrha as Tidus stands next to her.

"You ready?"

"Yeah." They take each other's hands as they stand near the elevator shaft. Pyrrha tosses out her shield and the two jump on as she uses her Semblance to push them up.

* * *

Weiss, Ruby, and Airu continue running through the courtyard of Beacon, looking for Jaune and Pyrrha. They stop when Weiss's scroll goes off, ringing from a call. She answers it and says, "Jaune! Where are you!"

" _Please, you have to stop them!_ " he pleads through the phone.

"Stop who? What's going on?"

" _Tidus and Pyrrha. They went after the woman at the top of the tower. They don't stand a chance. Please, help them._ "

"We will, are you okay?" The sound of the scroll bouncing off the ground is the only reply she gets. "Jaune! Jaune!" She hangs up, realizing he won't answer and turns back to Ruby and Airu, who heard the whole thing. Black ooze drips down from the wings of the Dragon Grimm, forming new Grimm along the streets.

"I have a plan," declares Ruby, drawing Crescent Rose from her back.

"You always do," states Weiss with Myrtenaster in hand.

"This one better be good," adds Airu as she draws her rapier, electricity crackling along the blade.

* * *

Pyrrha and Tidus leap out of the elevator shaft, the former throwing her spear at Cinder who stands in the center the room. Cinder sidesteps the spear as the gladiator picks up her shield and flings it as well. The Fall Maiden blocks it with her arm and counters with a wave of fire. Tidus sweeps his arm around and blocks the flames with water, allowing Pyrrha the chance to recall her weapons.

Cinder growls as she conjures more fire behind her, firing off the balls of flames towards the couple. The dream coats his sword with water, still keeping a visible supply behind him, and cuts down the incoming fireballs with ease. Tidus charges forward and slashes at Cinder, a trail of water following the attacks. The Fall Maiden blocks the blade with her hand and knocks the dream away.

From behind Tidus, Pyrrha stabs forward at an undefended Cinder with Milo in spear form. The Fall Maiden manages to catch the spear with her other hand and strikes the gladiator in the gut with her palm. Another streak of fire appears in Cinder's palm, sending Pyrrha back into the wall.

As she struggles to her feet, Tidus steps in front of Pyrrha to block a follow up wave of fireballs with a wall of water. Another growl comes from Cinder as she surrounds herself with a torrent of fire and rockets herself towards the couple. Tidus raises his arm, controlling the water as it moves towards her in the form of a large torrent, and blasts it toward her. Fire and water collide, the latter pushing through the raging flames and extinguishing them, pushing Cinder to the ground.

Tidus and Pyrrha charge in together, both swinging their swords at the Fall Maiden as she parries both attacks with her recently formed glass swords. She counters with a kick to the gladiator's gut and slams the hilt of her weapon into the dream's skull. Both stumble back as she conjures pillars of flames where they stand.

Pyrrha charges out of the flames, much to the shock of Cinder, and tackles the Fall Maiden to the ground. Tidus coats his body with water as the flames around him disperse and he attempts to charge the two women fighting, only to stop as he hears the incoming cry of the Grimm Dragon right outside the window. Pyrrha manages to roll Cinder over and uses Milo in its javelin form to choke her. Cinder grasps the weapon and begins heating it with her hand, adding a faint orange glow to the bronze colored metal.

The Dragon screeches, drawing the couple's attention to it outside as it flies toward them. Taking advantage of the distraction, Cinder snaps the heated metal in two and turns to elbow Pyrrha in the ribs as the Grimm smashes through the tower. The gladiator and the dream are blown back to the ground as giant cogs and gears and other rubble fall onto them.

Pyrrha crawls to her shield, taking it in her left hand as Tidus uses his sword to pull himself to his feet. Noticing Ozpin's desk among the rubble, she reaches out with her Semblance and throws it at the Fall Maiden. Cinder engulfs herself with flames as the desk races towards her, only for Tidus to wash out the raging fire with a pool of water. The desk crashes into her and bounces off the rubble into the air, striking the Grimm Dragon in the head. A large gash forms over its eye as it begins to lose altitude for a moment.

Cinder crawls to her feet, a noticeable gash along her forehead allowing a strong flow of blood into her right eye. In anger, she sends three more blasts of fire towards the two. Tidus blocks the first and Pyrrha rolls out of the way of the second, but is hit by the third. Tidus coats his blade with water and charges at Cinder as she reforms her glass swords. With a double slash, she parries Tidus's strike and lands one of her own to knock him back into a weakened pillar, causing it to fall onto him.

She turns her attention back to Pyrrha as the gladiator reels back and throws her shield at the Fall Maiden. Cinder connects her two swords and creates an arrow as she ducks underneath it. Still bent over, Cinder aims and fires her first shot directly into Pyrrha's ankle, ripping through the achilles tendon. Tidus struggles to free himself from the rubble as she slowly stalks the gladiator.

Cinder places a hand underneath Pyrrha's chin, making her look up into the Fall Maiden's eyes as she says, "It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours. But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined." Pyrrha returns the stare with one of determination as Tidus slowly struggles to remove some of the rubble from him.

"Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha asks. Cinder slowly grins before forming another arrow and pulls the string back on her bow, aiming at the gladiator's chest.

"Yes." The Fall Maiden releases the arrow, making a direct shot. The arrow pierces Pyrrha's heart and slowly her body functions begin to stop. Cinder places her hand to her fallen adversaries cheek, causing her body to incinerate instantly, leaving nothing but ash in her stead.

"YOU BITCH!" cries Tidus in pure rage as water bursts from his position, freeing him of rubble and charges in as water surrounds his blade. Cinder separates her swords and prepares to parry his overhand swing when a literal fist of water rises from below her. The punch connects with her jaw, stunning her for a moment as Tidus closes the gap. The Fall Maiden recovers in time to just block the attack from cutting her in half while a small chip forms on her left blade.

Cinder counters with her second blade, forcing Tidus to flip over the attack and away from her, leaving his back exposed. She takes the brief moment and slings a fireball at his back. To her surprise, Tidus turns on his left heel towards the heated ball, and covers his other leg in water as the two make contact. The connection extinguishes the flames while the water soars through the air like a blitzball, with all the speed and power of one as well.

The sudden counter of her attack and the speed of the water allows the sphere to connect with her chest and sends her into the last remaining pillar. As her back meets the structural material, the weakened pillar crumbles and begins to fall as she bounces off of it like a basketball.

A bright white glow covers Tidus's body as he prepares to leap into the air. "You need no mercy!" he chants as the energy around him grows stronger, releasing a small shock wave. As Cinder nears the ground a few more feet, his eyes snap open and he leaps after her. Like gravity forgot to work, the two hold themselves in the air as all the energy that surrounded Tidus now surrounds Calabolg. "Blitz Ace!"

Cinder watches in horror as the dream lands seven clean and powerful hits through his Overdrive. Her remaining Aura drops quicker than she could even thing as the last attack sends her back onto the floor below, knocking out the last of her Aura. She struggles to her feet, hoping to surprise Tidus with the one card she had left to play. But, to her own shock, he was already standing over top of her as a tidal wave of water splashes down on her.

She pants heavily as she tries to get up to her feet again. As he head turns upward, a strong hand meets her neck and grasps it tightly as he lifts her above the ground, letting her feet dangle below. Cinder locks in a stare with Tidus as he tries to crush her neck. "Come to my side-," she tries to chant hoarsely, only to be cut off when the blonde dream holding her neck plunges his sword into her abdomen. She gasps in pain as the blue steel blade emerges from her backside coated in her blood.

Tidus removes the sword from the Fall Maiden as water begins to fill the hole in her gut. The cool liquid enters her blood stream and locking her limbs while also draining the crimson life source from her body. The diluted blood travels in a stream and forms a sphere of water around her head, cutting off all oxygen. She tries to hold her breath, but the mixed liquids running up her nose forces her mouth open and letting it enter her lungs. Cinder tries struggling, but the water in her blood locking her limbs results in her efforts to be in vain.

After a good long minute of drowning in her own blood, she passes out from the lack of oxygen. Her body falls limp and she stops struggling, giving Tidus a reason to smirk. He let's out a hardy, fake laugh that makes him think of Spira as he walks Cinder's body over to the edge of Beacon tower. The water and blood mixture keeps her body from falling, until he retracts the water from around her head, and she doesn't come with it.

* * *

Odin, now taking the appearance of a young knight, sits across from a mysterious figure, looking human, concealed by the darkness. Their table, pure white in color, sits atop a cathedral of the same color in a world of complete darkness. Three chairs remain unused. "This is rather unfortunate," states the mysterious figure, sounding like a young boy, "It seems my maiden's lasts thoughts were not only of a male, but of one who somehow already has a Fayth."

"Yes, quite," agree Odin, "I assume that is why I am the only one with a black chair and not a white one."

"Yes. To be quite honest, I didn't think Winter, Spring, Summer, and I would ever meet another Fayth in Remnant."

"I see. So where will you go now then if the Fall Maiden is once again dead?"

"I don't know. Randomizing would be so difficult, and I really don't feel like going through that after becoming whole again."

"Then why not someone of Spira. The barrier is broken now, and I believe I have a perfect candidate."

"Intriguing, and who is she?" Odin reaches into the pocket of his armor and pulls out a small picture.

"Her."

"She will do great. Thank you…"

"Dream. Now you better get going, Fall."

"Of course, goodbye." Fall, still concluded by darkness, teleports out of the world of pure darkness. Odin, or Dream, does the same, leaving the world to fade away.

* * *

Airu, Weiss, and Ruby stand together as Grimm bodies slowly dissipate around them, allowing them to relax. They keep their weapons in their hands, however, in case more decide to appear. "Whew," sighs Ruby, "Now we just need to help Pyrrha and Tidus."

"Sounds like a plan to me," says Airu as she begins walking. Weiss gets ready to speak, when she notices something falling from the sky. As it closes in, it begins to form the shape of a person. She follows its path, and runs to Airu. Weiss pushes the harpy to the ground as the body falls on her, causing a white light to shine and blinds Ruby and Airu.

They hear the clanging of metal bouncing off concrete and move their arms from their eyes as they regain their sight. Looking to where Weiss once stood they see only the dead body of Cinder Fall as blood spills from her wounds, and the heiress's rapier Myrtenaster. Airu covers her mouth as tears begin to form in her eyes while Ruby screams, and everything freezes.

* * *

 _(? POV)_

 _This feeling, it is so weird. Why do I feel, different? It is like something is inside of me, but I can't quite to figure it out._ I open my eyes even though I should be asleep. Looking around, I notice that this place, this world, is not mine. It feels so empty. Everywhere I look, all I see is darkness, empty darkness.

I look down to the stained glass cathedral below to the beautiful portrait. In the center is me, my body lying in a field of pyreflies as Tidus lies opposite me with his legs cut off from the top of the portrait. Around the edges, familiar faces dot the border in much smaller portraits.

Of those, five large portraits stand out, aligned in such a way that they could be connected into a star. On the top is Kimarhi, with Wakka on the right and Lulu on the left. Below them, pictures of Auron and Rikku on the right and left respectfully.

 _It's been nearly two years already. I told you I wouldn't stop looking, and I haven't yet. Actually, I think that the true journey has just begun for me. I will find you, I promise._ I examine the cathedral a little more before moving my gaze forward. To my surprise, there is someone there. He, I am assuming, looks to be a young man, maybe seventeen. He has long blonde that reaches down to his lower back and wears a light yellow cloak with green accents and armored shoulders. I can only see his hand, but he looks to have black tattoos running down his arm.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I wouldn't worry about that yet, Yuna," he tells me as a staircase forms behind him, leading up to a larger cathedral. "Come, we have much to discuss. For now, you may call me Fall."

* * *

 **And with that, the Battle of Beacon ends. After a good eight chapters (which is a lot for this arc in other Fan fictions for some reason), it is over. Now, I must address a lot of elephants in the room. First, who is Dream/Odin? Simple, he is an Aeon that rests in Tidus, just like Fall/? rests in the Fall Maiden. There will be more to this later, but I will end it there. Next, Tidus's anger. So, while he is usually calm, he does get angry from time to time. The reason why I had him go as far is because not only did Cinder come close to killing Pyhrra, she actually succeeded, which sent him over. I wouldn't put it past him to kill in such a fashion as he did. A little OOC, but not to the point where he is a completely different character.**

 **Now, for the last elephant. Yuna is the new Fall Maiden. Why? Because of &($%(*! ) and ^&( _!%(#). What? Did you think I was going to spoil my plans? As for Weiss, well that will be explained in the next chapter, which will be up right after this. So, I will see you all there, don't be late.**


	54. Chapter 52: Fallout

**Here we are everyone, the final chapter. This will wrap up the Battle of Beacon arc, as well as the Remnant of a Dream story. Next time you see me will be when my next story comes out. Remember I have poll (that has received no votes) for my next story. Vote on what you want to see, and I that will be posted in a few months.**

 **I want to first thank everyone who followed and favorited this story, you helped me make sure I kept posting and improving my writing. Next I want to give very special thanks to swift56 for collaborating with me on the A Dance With the Devil, it was a lot of fun working with you on that takes place not to long after this chapter does.**

 **Now, without further aidu, please sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 52: Fallout**

People run around everywhere at the Vale medical center. After the Battle of Beacon, everyone who got injured was taken here, while those who were able to help, assisted the overworked staff. Auron lies in one of the rooms with plenty of machines attached to his body, his left side covered with bandages to stop the flow of blood to his missing left arm. Ren sits in the chair next to him with much smaller bandages wrapped around his body. Tidus remains unconscious next to Auron as the doctors monitor his vitals. Airu stands outside the room, her face stained with tears. In her hands lies Weiss's white rapier.

The sounds of shouting draws her attention to the counter not far from her. Arguing with the attendant is a older man with short white hair and a bushy mustache. He wears a white business suit and pants with an apparent briefcase in his hand. Looking to his side, she notices Winter standing next to him. Airu wipes her face of tears as she walks over to the scene.

"What do you mean my daughter's not here?" he demands, "You told me that every student was at least given a basic check-up when they arrived! So where is my daughter?"

"Is there something I can help you with?" Airu asks, trying to be polite. The white haired man turns to her, giving Airu a look of disgust.

"You can take your fucking wings and fly as far away from me as you can, Faunus scum."

"Father!" gasps Winter as she walks over to Airu's side. "Airu, do you know where Weiss is?"

"Knowing the murderous bastard she probably put her head-"

"She disappeared," interrupts Airu as she brings out Weiss's weapon to show them. "I don't know what happened, all I know is that I found this" Airu bows and holds out the blade in respect.

"You filthy animal! You probably killed her during all the commotion! I bet you are some White Fang assassin who is trying to kill me! You offer my daughter's sword like some sort of peace offering, just so you can stab me when I turn my back!" Airu looks up, ready to make a comeback, to find incoming hand of Mr. Schnee meet her face. The harpy falls to the floor, eyes filled with rage and remorse as she holds the white rapier in her hand.

"I didn't kill her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did." Mr. Schnee readies another response, Winter cuts him off.

"Father, there is something you should know," she declares, "Airu here is Weiss's girlfriend." Silence fills the air as Mr. Schnee clenches his fists.

"How long has this been going on?" he asks as he shakes with rage.

"Around two months," Airu replies, slowly lowering the white rapier. Mr. Schnee relaxes himself a little, still staring at the harpy.

"This is going to bring shame to our family if this gets, are you okay with this Winter?"

"Yes I am, father. The two told me themselves a few days ago, and Airu does care deeply for her." Mr. Schnee signs in defeat.

"I suppose, I could try and accommodate for you. If you wish, you could… stay with us for the time being, until Beacon is rebuilt. Try anything funny and I will personally end your stay."

"I would like that but.."

"Is there a problem staying with my family?"

"It's not that. I have a lot of...business to take care of myself in Atlas. I might not be there the entire time."

"That should be fine, Airu," assures Winter, "Whatever you need, we will be there to help."

"Thank you. Mr. Schnee, I accept your offer."

"Since you will be staying with use, I suppose you should call me by my name." Mr. Schnee holds out his hand reluctantly. "Jacques Schnee."

Airu takes his hand with a firm grasp. "Airu Mirai. And by the way, I prefer the term 'harpy' over Faunus."

"Noted. Meet us at the docks in three days, that should give you time to explain what has happened to your team." The two release their grip on the other's hand and Jacques leaves the hospital with Winter in tow. He stops at the door and turns back to Airu. "When you find my daughter, make sure you return her sword to her, she will appreciate it."

* * *

Ren steps outside his hospital room to stretch his legs when one of the doctors notices him. "Mr. Glain," the female doctor says, "Can you please return to your room? I have to discuss some of your test results with you."

"Yeah, sure," he complies, walking back into the room and sitting on his hospital bed. He takes one of the carrots from his try and holds it like a cigar, taking a small bite. "What's up doc?"

"I have some good news and some bad news."

"Give me the good news first." The female doctor shifts through her papers as she looks to her patient.

"Well, you vitals are all good and you should be released tomorrow. No serious injuries, just take it easy for a few days though."

"Alright, now what is the bad?"

"When we were doing a brain scan, we noticed some irregularities. Mostly in the region of your personality." Ren sits up straighter as he listens to the doctor go over his tests. "We noticed that you seem to bounce between different personality traits. One minute you are calm and collected, the next you are wild and dramatic, and from what you told police, even cold and sadistic. These are usually signs of multiple personality disorder, but you seem to always be aware of who you are when you shift."

"I change my actions based on the situation. Is there a problem with that?"

"It's not that, it's just…" The doctor trails off, trying to find the words to explain his condition. "I may have an idea of what could be going on. Did you go through any traumatic experiences that you can remember?"

"No I…" Ren trails off as well, remembering what happened on the isle. "Yes."

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it now, but I do recommend seeing a therapist. It would help y-"

"No it won't!" Ren shouts, interrupting the doctor, "You won't understand, any of you! You say you can help, but you can't! This blood on my hands can't be washed off! You will hear my story and lock me up! I am not insane! I am not some psycho! This is not something you can handle! I can and will manage myself perfectly! Just leave!"

"Mr. Glain, if you would just consid-"

"I said leave! Get the fuck away from me! And discharge me now! I am getting out of this fucking Hellhole!" The female doctor runs out as Ren lies down on his bed. A minute later, his door opens up again. "I thought I told you to leave!"

"I am afraid we still have much to discuss Ren," corrects the male voice at the door. Looking up, Ren stares into the eyes of General Ironwood in his new suit.

"You're right General, like how you got your body ripped in half yet you stand here in front of me."

"How did you find that out?" Ren reaches up and activates his eyepiece, letting the orange screen cover his right eye.

"Scanned your body when we met originally. I have to say the technology is impressive."

"It seems you are the right man for the job then."

"It seems my greatness is finally being recognized by the very be-"

"Just meet me at this address in three months," Ironwood interrupts, "I won't be able to return to Atlas now until I have found a way to clear my name. And bring Ruby with you."

"Alright. See you around James."

"It's General Ironwood."

"Not until we clear your name." Ironwood sighs in defeat.

"Just get there in three months."

* * *

Seymour slowly walks up the white staircase lines with purple crystals residing outside the kingdoms. Grimm wonder around in the Badlands freely in search of any wanderers to consume. Behind the former maester are two sets of Gemini fiends acting as bodyguards. Standing atop the stairs, a woman with pale white skin and black veins running along her arms and face. She ties her white hair in a bun with six sections coming from it. On her shoulders rest her dark black cloak, matching the sclera of her eyes with red irises.

"A smaller, more honest soul…," she begins, not yet acknowledging the presence of Seymour, "It's true that a simple spark can ignite hope, breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute. Which is why I will focus all of my power... to snuff it out.

"How does it feel, knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing? That your guardians have failed you? That everything you've built will be torn down before your very eyes? Your faith in mankind was not misplaced. When banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat. But divide them, place doubt into their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will wash away.

"Of course, they won't realize it at first. Like you, they'll cling to their fleeting hope, their aspirations. But this is merely the first move. So you send your guardians, your Huntsmen and Huntresses, and when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same pitiful demise. This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin." Her eyes glow red as she looks to the body crystal in air in front of her. "It will only be a matter of time before your mine."

"Lady Salem, I have returned," announces Seymour as he bows before her.

"Was the attack a success?" she asks.

"Unfortunately Cinder was killed in battle. She lost the powers of the maiden in the process."

"And what of your progress Lord Seymour?"

"I was able to gather a large number of pyreflies from the battle. As long as they continue destroying fiends, Sin shall be recreated. When that time comes, we shall rule this world together. We will end their suffering, end the spiral of death, and create a world where our children shall roam free. The Grimm and Fiends will walk this world with no opposition."

"That is good to hear. The loss of Cinder was rather pitiful, but lackeys are disposable. I assume you have her replacement?"

"Yes, I brought her along for just such an occasion." Seymour stands to the side to reveal a young woman with her face under the cover of her white cloak. "Say hello to your new master, Summer Rose." The young woman looks up, her red hair covering her blank eyes.

"Hello master," she says in monotone, "What are your orders?"

* * *

Team CRDL runs down an alleyway, trying to get away from a large bird. Compared to a Nevermore, it is small, but the buzzard is much larger than most birds the boys have seen. Cardin trips over a loose pipe lying on the ground. Dove and Russel help him up while Sky keeps running. The buzzard flies past them, landing in front of Sky, prompting him to raise his weapon.

"Why must you humans always resort to hostility?" the buzzard asks. Slowly, the large bird begins to twist and contort its body. The buzzard's beak turns into two lips and a human face takes its place. Soon, it stands over the boys at just over six feet tall without the box's extra three feet.

The buzzard man looms over them, wearing a black leather jacket with a blank tank top, black jeans, and black boots. Tattoos of Grimm cover his arms and body as his unwashed hair goes down to his back. His pale white face is offset by a long black beard that reaches the center of his chest.

"Just who the Hell are you?" Cardin asks as he readies his mace.

"Me? I am the Eater of Worlds, the Deity of Darkness, the Reaper of Souls. I am the Buzzard."

"What do you want?" A large, creepy smile forms on the face of the Buzzard.

"Now we are getting somewhere. Tell me boys, is there something you desire?"

"Yeah, there is. Why?" The Buzzard reaches out a hand to the young boy.

"Come with me boys. You do the job you are given, and Lord Seymour and Lady Salem will grant your wishes. They will give you unimaginable powers, and you will become gods. Those who said they would protect you lied. Can't you see it? They promised safety, yet the school you once attended is destroyed. They lied! Come with me, I would never lie to you."

Cardin looks back to his team with a grin, and they follow suit. "Where do we sign?"

* * *

 _Two minutes and forty-one seconds a new record._ High Summoner Yuna emerges from the water with a rippling splash as she gasps for air. In the eighteen months that followed her defeat of Sin, she has remained in the small village of Besaid, dealing with the political matters that have followed the sudden change to the culture of Spira.

After many of the teaching of Yevon had been disproved, the temples established a new following with new teachings, to which they called New Yevon. Those who wanted the guidance they had before followed the new teachings while those who were sick of the near thousand year religion, became part of the Youth League. The Youth League aims to preserve and display Spira's true history, while not being bound to the teachings of Yevon.

The past eighteen months had been filled with nothing but meetings from both sides asking her to join one or the other, to help with the smaller ordeals of the people, or the much needed sleep from her daily obligations. When she could, she would actually try to learn how to play blitzball, with Wakka helping her out whenever he could. "Hey, Yuna!" someone calls with a thick accent and gathering the attention of the young summoner. The brown haired young woman turns to the sound of the voice originating from the pathway connecting the beach and the village.

The owner of the voice, Wakka, wears a blue headband to hold up his red hair, styled into a coif, with a yellow vest top that reaches just above his stomach, and a blue and yellow pair of trousers that look very loose despite not reaching his ankles. A yellow shoulder pad rests on his left side that connects to a yellow arm guard and around his neck is a small dolphin necklace.

"There is someone wanting to speak with you at the village."

"Alright, give me a moment Wakka," Yuna replies. She sighs in annoyance before swimming to the sandy beach. Once the water becomes shallow enough to stand in, she plants her feet to the ocean floor and pushes herself out of the crystal clear water. As the water runs down her body, she reveals the outfit she donned throughout her pilgrimage.

The High Summoner wears a purple pleated, flower-patterned dress, black boots, a black spaghetti-string camisole under a white sash that wraps around her neck and over her chest. A bright yellow ribbon wraps around her waist, forming a bow that rests upon her lower back. There is also two kimono like sleeves that run from her forearms down that transition in color from white to a very faint pink.

As she approaches her former guardian, he looks to her and asks, "Still thinking about him, ya?"

"It's kinda hard to forget someone like him," she replies somberly, "But at the same time, I don't want to forget about him either. I promised I would find him, and I will. I just don't know how." Yuna hangs her head at the thought of her incompetence when a reassuring hand reaches her shoulder.

"And you will, trust me Yuna. But right now, the people look up to you as a symbol of hope. We better get going, we don't want…" The retired blitzball player trails off as his eyes look out towards the beach. Lying on the beach, face down, a young girl wearing a white dress with her white hair tied in a ponytail washes ashore. "I'll head to the village and get some help, you take care of the girl, ya."

Yuna turns around, confusion running through her head as she looks to where his vision was just focused, and notices the girl. She nods in confirmation as she begins running to the beach, the sand crunching under her boots as she wonders how much time the young girl has. The High Summoner slides to her knees as she reaches the girl, sending sand into the air that covers their clothes.

She quickly turns over the white clad girl, searching for any signs of life. Faintly, a light and peaceful breath is taken from the girl from the water. As a precaution, Yuna raises her palms to the girl as a bright green glow begins to emanate around them. "Curaga!" she chants as the green glow moves from her hands to the young girl, washing over her with a mild chiming of bells and a healing light.

The unconscious girl coughs a couple time in exhaustion, rather than from a lack of air. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she opens her eyes to the shining sun above, beating down upon her pale white skin. She covers her eyes, mostly due to the light, but also in hopes that all she is seeing is a dream, and that she is really back home.

"Are you okay?" Yuna asks the young girl, her out of her thoughts. The white haired girl sighs and moves her hand from her eyes, once more bringing in the light. She slowly sits up and turns to the High Summoner with a look of worry in her eyes.

"I think so," she replies weakly, "Just wondering how I wound up on a beach, that's all." Yuna giggles silently, not quite sure if the last comment was a joke or not.

"It looks like you washed up from the sea. Was there a shipwreck nearby?" The young girl shook her head and began working her way to her feet.

"I wasn't on a ship." She pauses momentarily to stretch and push some of her hair out of her face, revealing a scar going over her left eye. "I was fighting Grimm at Beacon, searching for my friends, when somebody was dropped off the tower."

Yuna looks to the girl in confusion. "Beacon? Grimm? What are you talking about? Did you have a bad dream or something?" The young girl turns to the Yuna with a look of disgust, shock, and anger.

"I did not have a bad dream. How could you not know about Beacon, one of the most prestigious schools of Huntsmen in all of Remnant? I bet now you are going to tell me you know nothing about Dust. And surely you must have… Grimm…" The young girl trails off when a sudden realization comes to mind. "This is not Remnant is it." Yuna shakes her head in denial.

"No, no this is not."

"Dear Oum," the young girl curses, "Miss…"

"Yuna."

"Miss Yuna, please answer me honestly; is this Spira?" Yuna cocks her head to side in confusion of the question as the sound of waves crashing against the beach fill the awkward silence.

"Yeah, I am guessing you are not from here." The white haired girl sighed in defeat as she realizes she is in fact, not home, but in Spira.

"You would be correct. Allow me to introduce myself." The white haired girl assumes a more formal position, one that represents class, wealth, and in some cases, royalty, and extends her right hand while her left sits behind her back. "I am Weiss Schnee, it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Yuna."

* * *

 **I am such an asshole leaving you all with so many cliff hangers. Just when you think you have all the answers, more questions are asked. Also, one thing I want to make clear now. Tidus and Auron were in Remnant for nine months. Eternal Calm takes place 18 months from the end of FFX, and FFX-2 takes place two years after FFX. That means Spira's time moves two times faster than Remnants.**

 **So, because I am nice, I am going to explain a little bit of what will be happening if _When Dreams Become Nightmares_ is voted to become the next story I write.**

 **3 months after the Battle of Beacon, Team AART is separated. Searching for answers, Airu and Winter head to the Frozen Cliffs to follow the mystery of Tuz Madar when they come across an unlikely ally in Neo. When they arrive, they are taken back to the Isle of Warriors to find their answers, and even fight in a tournament.**

 **Ren tries to fight his mental struggles as he and Ruby work with General Ironwood to find the answers they need in Mistrial. Will the voices get to him, or will be take control of his fragile mind?**

 **Auron and Yang have lost more than anyone else. Both down an arm, the two must force themselves to fight again as they search for the one person who can help them. Can the two find Raven? Who is this Buzzard character?**

 **Tidus, after staying with the Arc family for three months, is ready to move on again. With one of his closest friends missing, he and the rest of Team JNPR journey to Vauco to search for the leader of the Black Fang, a organization trying to go back to the old ways of the White Fang while trying to stomp out the terrorist group. All while finding the answers to Odin as Team TNJR (Teenager).**

 **After waking up in Spira six months ago, Weiss now joins Yuna, Rikku, and Paine as the Gullwings. Together, the four will journey across Spira in search of a way home, as well as to what really happened to Tidus. And how will they deal with the Leblanc's Syndicate with the recent addition of the assassin Carrie.**

 **There is a lot more planned, but that is just a quick overview. There is still the remaining Maidens, Summer Rose the mindless, and the mysterious Buzzard. But until that day arrives, I must bid you all farewell. I will see you in the future, so goodbye for now, but be ready for what's to come.**


	55. Minor Update

**Hello everyone, I'm back, but not for long. I just wanted to give you all a quick update as to what is going on, and what's going to be happening in the coming months. Now, I know some of you thought this was going to be the next chapter, but unfortunately it is not.**

 **First item of business is Death Dual III. For those of you unaware of what it is, TheLongVersion2, and a couple others, do a Death Battle style analysis and fights of various RWBY OCs. So, when I finished reading through their second battle, I submitted a few characters for the poll on Death Dual III. Aside from the other choices, Airu, Ren Glain, and RagingKey are options for the battle. I would recommend voting for one of them and another opponent, but not both. If I was going to do a Airu v Ren fight, I would do it myself. Plus, depending on when they write it and if one of my OCs gets selected, then you might get a sneak peak into some of their new character elements and other information that won't spoil anything for the squeal.**

 **That actually brings me to my next order of business, my new stories. So, after looking over your votes, I have concluded that three of you want to see When Dreams Become Nightmares. This would help me if I had more than three votes, but we'll roll with it. I have a good start on it, but it will still take some time before I am ready to start posting chapters, and that should begin around July or so. No date or schedule yet, but a that is what I am shooting for. I may start trickling out some trailers in June to get some Hype for it, but nothing too much going on.**

 **Now, because I had all these ideas, I also started two other stories; A Hollow's Game and From DUSC to Dawn. These were also from the polls, but still need some time to flesh out and establish a coherent plot and idea, but I do have a bit working on both. I would say those would enter the scene around August or so, but I am going to get a bit of a buffer going first. Only thing I will say about them is A Hollow's Game will have OC/Emerald mixed in and DUSC to Dawn with start around the time Amber is attacked. Not much more I want to say without spoiling everything, but that is a few quick notes on that.**

 **Finally, the last big piece of information I want to talk about is going to be my 4th project I will be doing along with everything else. Doing all of this is why I am giving myself a huge buffer. Now, unlike my other stories which have all been crossovers, this will TECHNICALLY be just a story. I say technically because I am crossing over a friend's established universe for his stuff, but not really published (similar to the Isle of Warrior stuff that deals with Airu and Ren Glain). This is a collaborative work done with my friend Edinium Forge, whom I go to school with and we met in real life.**

 **This story, which we have named _Dust_ , is a war based story in which members of the Federal Republic of Humanity land on Remnant due to some strange signatures coming from the Dust that is similar to Edinium, their primary resource. Of course, Atlas did not take too kindly to trespassers and shot them down, starting a war with the intergalactic race. More chaos ensues from there, but not a lot I want to say right now, and that will start being posted in about August as well. The main idea we are going for this story is the blurred lines between right and wrong. What one side may see as horribly wrong, to another could be their entire way of life as happy people. The other main idea is quantity vs quality, and how it relates in many aspects. Now, I will say that the Federals will seem over powered at first, but we are combating that with many different elements and there will be a team sent to Beacon. Also robots named Wilson and Dickface. **

**Anyways, that is all I wanted to discuss with you all today, and I hope you all have a good night. Plus I have to take the AP Calculus Exam in the morning and it is killing me trying to study. Wish me luck, vote for ONE character to be put in a fight to the death, and good luck in your finals. Also, if you have any story suggestions, let me know and I will consider them. I could use Event Dungeons for A Hollow's Game, and ideas for the overall plot of From DUSC to Dawn. Leave a review or a PM and I will get back to you as so as I can, when I am not cramming for finals. Thanks, and have good night.**


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